2000
#1,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,539
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.36
Uncommon Last name
Bullard
A surname derived from the Old English words "bula" (bull) and "hierde" (keeper), referring to a bull herder or keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,514 Americans carry the last name Bullard. That puts it at #1,573 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,434 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bullard 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 Bullard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,434
Census rank
#1,573
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,249 bearers of the surname Bullard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1573rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bullard
The surname Bullard originated in England, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bul" and "hierde," meaning "bull herd" or "keeper of bulls." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers were likely employed as herdsmen or cattle farmers.
The Bullard surname is thought to have originated in the county of Wiltshire, particularly in the village of Bulkerton, which was once known as "Bullards-town." This place name is believed to have influenced the development of the surname over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bullard surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named Robert Bullard is mentioned. Another early reference is found in the Feet of Fines of Oxfordshire from 1270, which mentions a John Bullard.
In the 13th century, the Bullard surname appeared in various forms, such as Bulhard, Bullehird, and Bulleheurd, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 include an entry for a Hugo Bullard, while the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 mention a Thomas Bullard.
One notable early bearer of the Bullard surname was William Bullard, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1480. He is recorded as having served as a yeoman in the household of King Henry VIII.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bullard surname gained prominence in several English counties, including Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. In 1642, a Robert Bullard from Gloucestershire was appointed as a commissioner for raising money for the defense of the county during the English Civil War.
Benjamin Bullard, born in Wiltshire in 1659, was a notable Puritan minister who later emigrated to New England, where he served as a pastor in several Massachusetts towns, including Weston and Medfield.
Another prominent figure was Sir Edward Bullard, who was born in Somerset in 1685. He served as a member of parliament for the borough of Heytesbury and was knighted in 1714 for his services to the crown.
In the 18th century, the Bullard surname continued to be well-represented in various regions of England. One example is John Bullard, a prominent merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1725 to 1802.
Throughout its history, the Bullard surname has been associated with a variety of occupations, including agriculture, clergy, politics, and commerce, reflecting the diverse paths taken by its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bullard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bullard 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 Bullard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 15,284
- Black or African American17.4% · 3,865
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.8% · 1,280
- Two or more races4.4% · 968
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 728
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 124
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bullard
Bullard 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
#1,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,755
+1,216 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 8.05
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#1,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,249
-1,506 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 7.44
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,453 | 22,539 | 8.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,509 | 23,755 | 8.05 | +1,216 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #1,573 | 22,249 | 7.44 | -1,506 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 64 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 Bullard 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 | #1,509 | #1,573 | -4.2% |
| Count | 23,755 | 22,249 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.05 | 7.44 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bullard bearers went from 23,755 to 22,249 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,509 to #1,573.
FAQ
Bullard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bullard?
Name Census estimates that about 25,514 living Americans carry the surname Bullard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,434 residents.
How common is Bullard?
Bullard ranks #1,573 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,249 people with the surname Bullard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,514), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Bullard.
Has Bullard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bullard went from 23,755 recorded bearers to 22,249. That is a decrease of 1,506 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,509 to #1,573.
What does the Census say about the background of Bullard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%). 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 Bullard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (15,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bullard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (17.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.8%). 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 Bullard (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 Bullard mean?
A surname derived from the Old English words "bula" (bull) and "hierde" (keeper), referring to a bull herder or keeper. 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 Bullard (7.44 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 have the surname Bullard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.