Boise
From a French word meaning "wooded."
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Boise. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Boise today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Boise births was 1921 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Boise. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Boise is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Boises were born before 1961.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Boise. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1921
6 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,025
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Boise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Boise from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 17 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Boise by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Boise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Boise
The name Boise traces its origins to the French language and is believed to have emerged in the late 18th century. It is derived from the French word "boisé," which means "wooded." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a heavily forested area or worked with wood.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Boise can be found in the French novel "Le Dernier des Mohicans" by James Fenimore Cooper, published in 1826. In the book, a character named Boise is mentioned, though little is known about the significance of this particular character.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Boise. One of the most prominent was Boise Penrose (1860-1921), an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1897 to 1921.
Another individual of note was Boise Guion (1879-1958), an American tennis player who won the U.S. National Singles Championship in 1909, which was the precursor to the modern-day U.S. Open.
In the realm of literature, Boise Penrose Stokes (1853-1926) was a notable American author and educator who wrote several books on philosophy and education.
The name Boise also found its way into the world of art, with Boise Watkins (1890-1976) being a prominent American painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
Lastly, Boise Engdahl (1884-1936) was a Swedish-American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Boise, Idaho, which was named after the nearby Boise River, itself named after the French word "boisé."
While the name Boise may have originated as a descriptive term, it has since evolved into a distinct given name with a rich history and notable individuals who have carried it through the ages.
People
Boise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Boise as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Boise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Boise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Boise going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Boise a common name?
We classify Boise as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 38 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Boise most popular?
The single biggest year for Boise was 1921, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Boise is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Boise in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Boise a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Boise in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Boise still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Boise in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Boise can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Boise?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.