Explore the Family Name Bolles

The meaning of Bolles

German (rarely Bölles): from a dialect variant (especially in Franconian) of Bolle or Boll 2, or a variant of Balles.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bolles in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Bolles has slightly decreased over a decade. In 2000, Bolles was ranked as the 12,418th most popular surname in the United States, with 2,292 individuals bearing that name. By 2010, the rank had slipped to 12,740, though the number of people named Bolles increased to 2,423, marking a 5.72 percent growth. This rise in count suggests that while the name might have become less common relative to other surnames, more people are indeed carrying the Bolles surname.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#12,418	#12,740	-2.59%
Count	2,292	2,423	5.72%
Proportion per 100k	0.85	0.82	-3.53%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bolles

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows a few shifts among those bearing the Bolles surname between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identify as White, although this percentage dropped from 92.23 percent in 2000 to 90.05 percent in 2010. Over the same period, there was a notable increase in the proportion of Bolles identifying as Hispanic, rising from 2.57 percent to 4.54 percent. The percentages of Bolles identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw increases, while the portion identifying as Two or more races saw a decrease. The percentage of Bolles identifying as Black remained relatively stable.

	2000	2010	Change
White	92.23%	90.05%	-2.36%
Hispanic	2.57%	4.54%	76.65%
Black	2.44%	2.48%	1.64%
Two or More Races	1.53%	1.32%	-13.73%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.65%	0.87%	33.85%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.57%	0.74%	29.82%