2000
#2,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,254
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.17
Uncommon Last name
Bull
An occupational surname referring to a person who herded or kept bulls or worked with cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,655 Americans carry the last name Bull. That puts it at #3,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,084 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bull surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,084
Census rank
#3,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,036 bearers of the surname Bull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bull, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bull
The surname BULL is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bulol" or "bule," meaning a bull or male bovine animal. This surname likely emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited bull-like qualities, such as strength, stubbornness, or a fierce demeanor.
It is also possible that the surname BULL originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with bulls, such as a cattle herder or a breeder of bulls. In some cases, the name may have been derived from a sign or inn featuring the image of a bull.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BULL can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated around 1273, where a certain Richard le Bole is mentioned. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, also includes references to places with names like "Buleberia" and "Bulewelle," which could be related to the surname.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname BULL include John Bull, a satirical personification of the English national character, which first appeared in the early 18th century. In literature, there is a character named Obadiah Bull in Samuel Butler's satirical novel "Hudibras," published in the 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname BULL was Sir John Bull (c. 1562-1628), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
Another prominent figure was William Bull (c. 1738-1814), an English architect and surveyor who designed numerous buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary-le-Strand and the Bloomsbury Square area.
In the realm of sports, Johnny Bull (1920-2004) was an English professional footballer who played as a defender for various clubs, including Ipswich Town and Sheffield United, in the mid-20th century.
John Bull (1923-2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Wyoming from 1967 to 1975.
More recently, Sir John Bull (born 1944) was a British businessman and the former Chief Executive of the Caudwell Group, a leading telecommunications company.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bull
Among Census respondents with the surname Bull, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bull bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 9,172
- Black or African American8.2% · 905
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 400
- Two or more races3.3% · 367
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bull
Bull appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,646
+392 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#3,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,036
-610 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.69
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,936 | 11,254 | 4.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,088 | 11,646 | 3.95 | +392 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #3,193 | 11,036 | 3.69 | -610 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 105 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bull surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,088 | #3,193 | -3.4% |
| Count | 11,646 | 11,036 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.69 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bull bearers went from 11,646 to 11,036 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,088 to #3,193.
FAQ
Bull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bull?
Name Census estimates that about 12,655 living Americans carry the surname Bull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,084 residents.
How common is Bull?
Bull ranks #3,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,036 people with the surname Bull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,655), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bull.
Has Bull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bull went from 11,646 recorded bearers to 11,036. That is a decrease of 610 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,088 to #3,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Bull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bull, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (9,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bull (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bull mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who herded or kept bulls or worked with cattle. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bull (3.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bull?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Bull at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.