Frequency: (168)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English and Irish: according to MacLysaght, this is a surname of Dutch origin which was taken to Ireland early in the 18th century.
2. French: from a personal name composed of the Germanic elements boll ‘friend’, ‘brother’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘strong’.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
