Boisy
Derived from the French word "boisé" meaning "wooded" or "covered with trees".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Boisy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Boisy today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Boisy births was 1931 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Boisy. 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 Boisy is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Boisys were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Boisy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1931
6 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1931 SSA rank
#3,425
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Boisy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Boisy from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Boisy 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 Boisy 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 Boisy
The given name Boisy is believed to have originated in the medieval period, with roots traced back to the Old French language. It is thought to be a derivation of the word "bois," which translates to "wood" or "forest." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname for individuals who lived near or worked in wooded areas.
During the Middle Ages, the name Boisy gained popularity in certain regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. It was commonly found among families of modest means, such as peasants, woodcutters, and forest dwellers. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in local parish records and tax rolls.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Boisy was Jean de Boisy, a French clergyman and diplomat who lived from 1492 to 1554. He served as the Bishop of Mâcon and played a significant role in the negotiations between King Francis I of France and Pope Clement VII during the Reformation era.
Another individual of note was Pierre de Boisy, a 16th-century French nobleman and military commander who fought in the Italian Wars under King Francis I. He was born in 1506 and gained recognition for his valor and strategic acumen on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, the name Boisy appears in the works of the renowned French author François Rabelais. In his satirical novel "Gargantua and Pantagruel," published in the 16th century, one of the characters is named Frère Jean des Entommeurs, also known as "Boisy."
Moving into the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Boisy was Jacques de Boisy, a French military engineer who lived from 1610 to 1678. He was renowned for his expertise in fortification design and played a crucial role in strengthening the defenses of numerous cities and fortresses throughout France.
Lastly, in the 19th century, there was a French painter named François-Édouard Boisy, born in 1828 and known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in France. His works were exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon and are part of several museum collections today.
While the name Boisy may have fallen out of widespread use in more recent times, its historical roots and associations with individuals from various walks of life, from the clergy to the military and the arts, reflect its enduring legacy as a distinctive and intriguing given name.
People
Boisy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Boisy 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
Boisy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Boisy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Boisy 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Boisy a common name?
We classify Boisy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Boisy most popular?
The single biggest year for Boisy was 1931, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Boisy is about 80 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 Boisy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Boisy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Boisy 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 Boisy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Boisy 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 Boisy 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 have Boisy as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.