The Bolen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,323 people carried this name — #3,793 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,600 people counted. That is up 4% from 8,927 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bolen surname

From boleń (“asp”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entries «Boleń» (Polish) and «boleń» (Polish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Poland’s population register

62 people named Bolen have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 77 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Holy Cross.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Holy Cross 42
Silesian 11
West Pomeranian 5
Pomeranian 4

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 24 people named Bolen live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Hainaut 12
Walloon Brabant 7
West Flanders 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

20 people named Bolen is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 20

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Bolen in American newspapers,
1899–1920.

Newspaper page from The Lexington Progress carrying the name Bolen
The Lexington Progress 1920-12-10
Newspaper page from The Lexington Progress carrying the name Bolen
The Lexington Progress 1920-03-26
Newspaper page from Wheeling Register carrying the name Bolen
Wheeling Register 1899-12-22

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,145 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bolen in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1960s.

349 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bolen. The most, 103, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 221
South Australia 47
New South Wales 34
Victoria 30
Tasmania 8
Western Australia 7
ACT (Canberra) 2

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

Who carried it

People named Bolen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Václav Bolen
    Václav Bolen 1887–1963 · politician
  • Francis Bolen 1912–1981 · journalist
  • David Bolen 1923–2022 · diplomat
  • Charles W. Bolen 1923–2010 · musician
  • Bob Bolen 1926–2014 · politician

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 Bolen,
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 States615 records

615 records of the Bolen name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 323
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 135
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 76
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 33
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 27
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 8
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Frank D. Bolen

    Born 1922 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1943 at Oklahoma City; farm hand from Coal County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Highland Cemetery, Stonewall, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert A. Bolen

    Born 1930; from Cass County, Indiana. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman - parachutist; killed in action 1951 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Bolen

    Arrived at New York in 1858 aboard the Isaac Wright from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 615 records for Bolen in the United States.

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

Netherlands29 records

29 records of the Bolen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 17
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 11
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Catharina Bolen

    Born 1813 in Alkmaar. Married in 1835 in Den Helder.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jean Bolen

    Died 1809 in Ijzendijke; born in Kopel canton de Koppel; fusilier.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Anna Bolen

    Buried in 1779 in Groningen.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Bolen 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany6 records

6 records of the Bolen name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Bolen

    From Gammertingen. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 6 July 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 69).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Julius Bolen

    From Darmstadt. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 6 April 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 57).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Bolen in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Bolen name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elsie Bolen

    Died 1974, aged 53; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Clarence Bolen

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Bolen

    Married 1873 in Gowrie, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 4 records for Bolen in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Bolen name in Australia Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Bolen

    Sailed from Victoria in 1854 aboard the City of Hobart II, bound for Hobart Town, aged 30.

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

    Sailed from Victoria in 1861 aboard the Lightning, bound for Liverpool, aged 30.

    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 D. M. Bolen

    Sailed from Victoria in 1853 aboard the Indianola, bound for San Francisco, aged 42.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bolen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bolen 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 Bolen volume
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