The Bolden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 21,819 people carried this name — #1,649 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,500 people counted. That is up 9% from 20,015 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bolden surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Baldwin’.

An early record he cites: William Bolding, Shropshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Bolden, Bolding and Boldin.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 116 · public domain.

In print

Bolden in American newspapers,
1903–1920.

Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Bolden
The Salt Lake Herald 1903-04-05
Newspaper page from The Athena Press carrying the name Bolden
The Athena Press 1913-10-03
Newspaper page from The Milwaukee Leader carrying the name Bolden
The Milwaukee Leader 1920-07-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 28,507 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bolden in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

3,401 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bolden. The most, 845, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,157
Queensland 791
Western Australia 591
New South Wales 441
Tasmania 287
South Australia 117
ACT (Canberra) 6
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bolden.

Who carried it

People named Bolden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Buddy Bolden
    Buddy Bolden 1877–1931 · hairdresser
  • Ed Bolden
    Ed Bolden 1881–1950 · sports executive
  • Armyne Bolden 1817–1843
  • Sandford George Bolden 1819–1843
  • Henry Bolden 1836–1891
  • Henry Bolden 1837–1891

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Bolden,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,145 records

1,145 records of the Bolden name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 568
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 343
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 161
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 32
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 16
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 12
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 2
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Carl Eugene Bolden

    Born 1947; from Gonzales, Texas. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Stephen Bolden

    Born 1918 in Georgia. Enlisted 1945 at Jackson Barracks, Louisiana; checker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Holden Bolden

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Malabar from Havre, aged 49; laborer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,145 records for Bolden in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia106 records

106 records of the Bolden name in Australia
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 42
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 36
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 16
  • Tasmanian Names Index 8
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Bolden

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Asia, arriving 1828; certificate of freedom 1838.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ernest H. Bolden

    Former cleaner of Thornbury, Victoria; died 1948.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex S. Bolden

    Arrived in Victoria in 1878 aboard the Cuzco, aged 23.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 106 records for Bolden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands30 records

30 records of the Bolden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 24
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 6
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Heindrik Bolden

    Married in 1643 in Rotterdam; born in Beek.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jan Bolden

    Buried in 1759 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elizabeth Bolden

    In the population register of Heusden; born 1896.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Langstraat Heusden Altena (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Bolden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada11 records

11 records of the Bolden name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 8
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record W.d Bolden

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Polynesian, landing at Halifax, bound for Bracebridge, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William A. Bolden

    Buried in 1987 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 78.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Walter Bolden

    Died 1923 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 11 records for Bolden in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Bolden name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record L. Bolden

    East Surrey Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bolden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bolden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Bolden volume
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