NameCensus.

UK surname

Bult

A Dutch surname possibly derived from the word "bolt" referring to someone living near a bolt or farm building.

In the 1881 census there were 79 people recorded with the Bult surname, ranking it #22,357 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 97, ranked #31,585, down from #22,357 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sedgemoor, West Somerset and Eden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bult is 223 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.8%.

1881 census count

79

Ranked #22,357

Modern count

97

2016, ranked #31,585

Peak year

1891

223 bearers

Map years

5

1851 to 1911

Key insights

  • Bult had 79 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,357 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016, ranked #31,585.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 223 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bult surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bult surname density by area, 1911 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bult 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 79 #22,357
1891 historical 223 #13,800
1901 historical 116 #20,933
1911 historical 156 #17,421
1997 modern 85 #28,988
1998 modern 95 #28,303
1999 modern 104 #27,164
2000 modern 97 #28,142
2001 modern 94 #28,246
2002 modern 99 #28,082
2003 modern 94 #28,686
2004 modern 97 #28,455
2005 modern 101 #27,854
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 96 #29,339
2008 modern 101 #28,825
2009 modern 106 #28,666
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 91 #31,442
2012 modern 89 #31,934
2013 modern 101 #30,591
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 98 #31,342
2016 modern 97 #31,585

Geography

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Where Bults are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, St Marylebone, Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sedgemoor, West Somerset, Eden, Erewash and Dover. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Lambeth London (South Districts)
3 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
4 Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead Surrey
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sedgemoor 014 Sedgemoor
2 West Somerset 004 West Somerset
3 Eden 007 Eden
4 Erewash 010 Erewash
5 Dover 014 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bult

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bult

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bult, 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 Bult surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bult 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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Bult is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bult is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bult falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bult 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 Bult, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bult

The surname BULT is of Dutch origin, first appearing in records from the Netherlands in the 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Dutch word "bult," meaning a bump or protrusion, and may have originally referred to someone who lived on a hill or mound.

The earliest recorded instance of the BULT surname dates back to 1587 in the town of Leiden, where a man named Jan Willemszoon BULT was listed in the city's tax records. Other early references include a land deed from 1612 in the village of Bulthuizen, which was likely named after an early settler with the BULT name.

In the 17th century, the BULT surname began appearing in various parts of the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of North and South Holland, Utrecht, and Friesland. It's possible that some instances of the name may have been influenced by the similarly spelled German surname "Bulte," which shares the same linguistic root.

One notable BULT in Dutch history was Pieter BULT (1622-1688), a prominent merchant and shipper from Amsterdam who played a role in the city's thriving maritime trade during the Dutch Golden Age. Another was Dirk BULT (1796-1872), a politician and member of the Dutch Parliament who advocated for educational reforms in the mid-19th century.

As the BULT name spread across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, it can be found in various records and historical documents from countries like Germany, Belgium, and France. A few examples include Johann BULT (1732-1804), a German theologian and author from Saxony, and Charles BULT (1820-1887), a Belgian artist known for his landscape paintings.

In the 20th century, the BULT surname gained some prominence in the fields of science and academia. Notable individuals include the Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate Hendrick BULT (1908-1994), and the American mathematician and computer scientist Richard BULT (1941-2019), who made significant contributions to the field of computational biology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bult families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bult 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 21 Bults recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.08x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 21 3.08x
Somerset 20 18.20x
Surrey 11 3.31x
Monmouthshire 6 12.16x
Northamptonshire 6 9.34x
Devon 4 2.81x
Lancashire 1 0.12x
Oxfordshire 1 2.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 9 Bults recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.12x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 9 15.12x
North Petherton 9 1011.24x
St Marylebone London 9 24.69x
Cosgrove 6 4000.00x
Upper Llanvrechva 5 649.35x
St Pancras London 4 7.28x
Taunton St Mary 4 198.02x
Hackney London 3 7.84x
St George Bloomsbury 3 76.53x
Durston 2 4000.00x
Glastonbury 2 222.22x
Kingston On Thames 2 25.03x
Plymouth Charles The 2 31.95x
Wilton 2 689.66x
Buckland West 1 1111.11x
Cheetham 1 16.56x
Hammersmith London 1 5.95x
Hartland 1 227.27x
Monmouth 1 76.34x
Paddington London 1 3.98x
Thame 1 129.87x
Walcot 1 17.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Louisa 5
Mary 5
Sarah 4
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Harriet 2
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Happy 1
Henrietta 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Lena 1
May 1
Rosea 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 6
John 5
Charles 2
Francis 2
Henry 2
James 2
Walter 2
Ernest 1
Frank 1
K.B.V. 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
William 1
Willie 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 Bult households.

FAQ

Bult surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bult surname in 1881?

In 1881, 79 people were recorded with the Bult surname. That placed it at #22,357 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bult surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016. That gives Bult a modern rank of #31,585.

What does the Bult surname mean?

A Dutch surname possibly derived from the word "bolt" referring to someone living near a bolt or farm building.

What does the Bult map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bult 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.