Bolger
An Irish surname, probably from an older Gaelic family name later recorded in anglicized form.
The #9,598 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,210 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources point to Bolger as an Irish surname, but the exact Gaelic source is not made explicit in the excerpts. It is usually treated as an anglicized Irish family name, with the ending -ger reflecting an English spelling of an older Irish form. Because the older dictionaries do not give a clear derivation here, the safest reading is that it is a traditional Irish surname of uncertain precise root.
History
19th-century Irish surname lists show Bolger as an established name in Ireland, especially in county-based frequency tables. The surname later appears in the United States as well, where it is uncommon but well represented among Irish-American families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older Irish surname studies, Bolger is often grouped with a cluster of spellings that vary mainly in how English scribes tried to represent Irish sounds.
From the historical record
“126 BOLGER. 254. Dimmett. 325. 102 IBIRRANE. Boulger. 146”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland