Explore the Family Name Bolster

The meaning of Bolster

1. Dutch: variant of Balster. 2. English: occupational name for a bowl maker, from Middle English bolster ‘bowl maker’. Alternatively, a variant of Balster. This English name was taken to Ireland (Cork) early in the 18th century.

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

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

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Bolster has seen a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Bolster ranked 14,976 in popularity, with a total count of 1,811 people bearing this surname. By 2010, the rank had increased slightly to 14,902, and the total count of people with this surname had grown by 9.66% to 1,986. However, the proportion of the population with this surname per 100k remained constant at 0.67.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#14,976	#14,902	0.49%
Count	1,811	1,986	9.66%
Proportion per 100k	0.67	0.67	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bolster

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bolster. As of 2000, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, totaling 96.47%. However, by 2010, this percentage had decreased slightly to 94.41%. During the same period, there was a noticeable increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, with a change of 95.45%, and Hispanic, with a change of 93.48%. The proportion of those identifying as two or more races also saw a modest growth of 15.24%. Meanwhile, the representation of Black individuals decreased by 10.26%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native representation grew by 78.57%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.47%	94.41%	-2.14%
Hispanic	1.38%	2.67%	93.48%
Two or More Races	1.05%	1.21%	15.24%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.44%	0.86%	95.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.28%	0.5%	78.57%
Black	0.39%	0.35%	-10.26%