NameCensus.

UK surname

Bolch

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "marshy" or "boggy" area.

In the 1881 census there were 21 people recorded with the Bolch surname, ranking it #30,609 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 92, ranked #32,035, down from #30,609 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Great Yarmouth, Swansea and Havering.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bolch is 108 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 338.1%.

1881 census count

21

Ranked #30,609

Modern count

92

2016, ranked #32,035

Peak year

1999

108 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Bolch had 21 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,609 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 92 in 2016, ranked #32,035.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 86 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bolch surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bolch surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bolch surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bolch over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 36 #26,838
1861 historical 34 #29,685
1881 historical 21 #30,609
1891 historical 35 #31,540
1901 historical 56 #27,952
1911 historical 86 #24,243
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 106 #26,689
1999 modern 108 #26,602
2000 modern 100 #27,695
2001 modern 98 #27,672
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 97 #28,217
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 92 #29,576
2007 modern 85 #30,954
2008 modern 81 #31,713
2009 modern 82 #32,048
2010 modern 83 #32,396
2011 modern 89 #31,659
2012 modern 92 #31,528
2013 modern 95 #31,523
2014 modern 94 #31,909
2015 modern 94 #31,872
2016 modern 92 #32,035

Geography

Back to top

Where Bolchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Great Yarmouth, Swansea and Havering. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Great Yarmouth 001 Great Yarmouth
2 Swansea 015 Swansea
3 Great Yarmouth 010 Great Yarmouth
4 Swansea 009 Swansea
5 Havering 009 Havering

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bolch

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bolch surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bolch

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bolch, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bolch surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bolch household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Bolch is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bolch is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bolch falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bolch is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bolch, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bolch

The surname Bolch originated in England during the late medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "bol" meaning "bowl or round object" and "coh" meaning "to bend or curve." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who crafted or sold bowls or other curved wooden objects.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Bolch surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1230, where a Richard Bolch is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, listing a Walter Bolch as a landowner.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire. Variants of the spelling included Bolche, Boulche, and Bowlche, reflecting the regional dialects of the time.

A notable early bearer of the Bolch surname was John Bolch, born around 1420 in Bray, Berkshire. He served as a yeoman in the household of King Henry VI and is mentioned in various household accounts from that period.

In the 16th century, the Bolch family established itself in the village of West Bollingdon, Oxfordshire, where they owned a substantial estate. William Bolch, born in 1542, was a prominent landowner and local magistrate in the area.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Thomas Bolch, born in 1612 in Buckinghamshire, fought for the Parliamentarian forces and is recorded as participating in several battles, including the Siege of Reading in 1643.

Another notable figure was Reverend Edward Bolch, born in 1674 in Berkshire, who served as a Church of England clergyman and authored several religious texts in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Bolch surname spread to other parts of England, with some members of the family migrating to the United States and Canada. One such individual was Samuel Bolch, born in 1825 in Oxfordshire, who settled in Ontario, Canada, and became a successful farmer and landowner.

Throughout its history, the Bolch surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including craftsmen, landowners, military personnel, clergy, and farmers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bolch families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bolch surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 9 Bolchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.39x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 9 4.39x
Glamorgan 8 22.43x
Hampshire 2 4.76x
Devon 1 2.35x
Surrey 1 1.00x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eglwysilan in Glamorgan leads with 8 Bolchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1290.32x.

Place Total Index
Eglwysilan 8 1290.32x
St Marylebone London 6 54.89x
Ealing 2 109.29x
Portsea 2 24.30x
Hammersmith London 1 19.84x
Lambeth 1 5.60x
Plymouth Charles The 1 53.19x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bolch surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Elizabeth 3
Alice 1
Ann 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Hannah 1
Lilian 1
Mary 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bolch surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 4
Carl 1
George 1
Henry 1
James 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bolch households.

FAQ

Bolch surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bolch surname in 1881?

In 1881, 21 people were recorded with the Bolch surname. That placed it at #30,609 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bolch surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 92 in 2016. That gives Bolch a modern rank of #32,035.

What does the Bolch surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "marshy" or "boggy" area.

What does the Bolch map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bolch bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.