2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boaen
A surname derived from an obscure Old Norse word, potentially referring to dwelling or home.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Boaen. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boaen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Boaen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boaen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boaen
The surname "BOAEN" has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "boan," meaning "bean" or "bean-like." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who cultivated or traded in beans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1196, where a person named William Boan is mentioned. In the 13th century, the name is found in various forms, including "Boane," "Boone," and "Boanen," indicating variations in spelling and pronunciation.
The Boaen family is known to have resided in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset during the Middle Ages. In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Boaen (c. 1330-1395) was a prominent landowner in the village of Chippenham, Wiltshire.
In the 15th century, the name is recorded in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the influential Paston family in Norfolk. In one letter dated 1472, a person named Thomas Boaen is mentioned as a servant in the household of Sir John Paston.
During the Tudor period, the Boaen family gained prominence in the county of Somerset. One notable individual was William Boaen (1510-1584), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes with the Netherlands and played a significant role in the city's economic growth.
Another prominent figure was Richard Boaen (1625-1692), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton in Somerset. He was known for his theological writings and his advocacy for educational reforms.
In the 18th century, the Boaen family had a presence in the American colonies. One notable figure was John Boaen (1728-1803), a farmer and landowner in Virginia who served as a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the surname "BOAEN" has appeared in various spellings, including "Boan," "Boane," "Boone," "Boanen," and "Bowen." While the name is not as common today as it once was, it continues to be a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped the country's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boaen
Among Census respondents with the surname Boaen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boaen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Boaen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boaen
Boaen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,432 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Boaen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #142,788 | 1.7% |
| Count | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boaen bearers went from 114 to 119 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,788.
FAQ
Boaen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boaen?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Boaen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Boaen?
Boaen ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Boaen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boaen.
Has Boaen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boaen went from 114 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Boaen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boaen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boaen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boaen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Black (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Boaen (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Boaen mean?
A surname derived from an obscure Old Norse word, potentially referring to dwelling or home. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Boaen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Boaen?
Want to know how many people have the surname Boaen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.