Show ContentsBolens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In its ancient Gaelic form, the Irish name Bolens was written Ó Beollain, formed from a Norse personal name. 1

Early Origins of the Bolens family

The surname Bolens was first found in counties Clare and Sligo (Irish: Sligeach), in the province of Connacht in Northwestern Ireland, where they held a family seat.

Early History of the Bolens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolens research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1014 is included under the topic Early Bolens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolens Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Bolens were found in the many archives researched. These included Boland, Bolan, Boland, O'Boland, O'Bolan, Bolend, Bolen, Bolland, Bollan, Bollend, Bollen, Bowland, Bowlan, Bowlin, Boulland, Bollander, Bolander, Bollinder, Bolinder, Bollendar, Bolendar, Bollandar, Bowlander, Boulander, Bouland and many more.

Early Notables of the Bolens family

More information is included under the topic Early Bolens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bolens migration to the United States +

A great wave of Irish migration occurred during the 19th century as a direct result of English colonial rule and tight-fisted absentee landlords. Many of these Irish immigrants boarded passenger ships bound for North America. Those who migrated early enough were given land in either British North America or the United States; those who came in the late 19th century were typically employed in industrial centers as laborers. At whatever age they undertook the dangerous passage to North America, those Irish immigrants were essential to the speedy development of the two infant nations to which they arrived, whether they broke and settled land, helped build canals, bridges, and railroads, or produced products for consumer consumption. An examination of immigration and passenger lists has uncovered a large number of immigrants bearing the name Bolens or one of its variants:

Bolens Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alexander Bolens, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Vaderland" from Antwerp, Belgium 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Bolens (post 1700) +

  • Harry W. Bolens (1864-1944), American politician, Member of the Wisconsin State Senate


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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