2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bullie
A nickname surname derived from the Middle English word "bulle" meaning a bull.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Bullie. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bullie 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.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Bullie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bullie
The surname "BULLIE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from an Old English word or nickname referring to a person with a large or stocky build. It has also been suggested that the name could be related to the Old English word "bulle," which means "a young bull or calf."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bulli" or "Bullie." This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century and may have been associated with certain regions or villages in England at that time.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert Bullie who was a landowner in the county of Hertfordshire. During the same period, a John Bullie is mentioned as a witness in a legal document from the city of Lincoln, indicating that the name had spread to different parts of the country.
By the 16th century, the surname had evolved into various spellings, such as "Bulley," "Bullye," and "Bully." One notable figure from this era was Sir William Bullie (1520-1591), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London.
In the 17th century, the name was carried by several notable individuals, including Reverend Thomas Bullie (1604-1676), a prominent Puritan minister who served as the rector of Steeple Bumpstead in Essex.
Another significant figure was Captain John Bullie (1630-1702), a naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars and was later appointed as the Governor of Newfoundland in 1697.
During the 18th century, the name gained further prominence with individuals like Sir Edward Bullie (1712-1784), a renowned lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1770 to 1784.
In the 19th century, the surname was associated with several literary figures, including the poet and novelist Elizabeth Bullie (1828-1891), whose works explored themes of social injustice and the plight of the working class.
As the name spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, but the core pronunciation and origin remained largely unchanged, reflecting its deep historical roots in English society and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bullie
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bullie 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 Bullie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.2% · 101
- Two or more races6.7% · 8
- White5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bullie
Bullie appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,892 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 Bullie 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 | #140,157 | #142,049 | -1.3% |
| Count | 119 | 120 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bullie bearers went from 119 to 120 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,049.
FAQ
Bullie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bullie?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Bullie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Bullie?
Bullie ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Bullie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bullie.
Has Bullie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bullie went from 119 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Bullie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bullie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bullie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bullie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.2%), Two or More Races (6.7%), White (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 Bullie (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 Bullie mean?
A nickname surname derived from the Middle English word "bulle" meaning a bull. 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 Bullie (0.04 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 Bullie?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Bullie, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.