Find out how popular the last name Boan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Boan.

Boan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Boan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boan in America

Boan is the 17864th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boan surname appeared 1,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Boan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Boan

The surname BOAN has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the early 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "bán," which means "white" or "fair-haired." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with light-colored hair or a pale complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BOAN can be found in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, a tax record from County Antrim, Ireland. In this document, the name is spelled "Boane," which is likely an earlier spelling variation.

The BOAN surname has also been associated with certain place names in Ireland, particularly in County Down, where the townland of Ballyboain (meaning "town of the white meadow") may have influenced the name's development.

Notable individuals with the surname BOAN include Edward Boan (1837-1916), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, from 1899 to 1905. Another prominent figure was William Boan (1830-1905), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia in the late 19th century.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BOAN surname can be found in the 1790 Census, where a family with this name is listed as residing in Pennsylvania. John Boan (1809-1892), an American lawyer and politician, served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in the mid-19th century.

In the United Kingdom, the name BOAN has been recorded as early as the 16th century. Thomas Boan (1554-1622) was an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Whittington, Staffordshire. Additionally, James Boan (1816-1899) was a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration of Western Australia in the 19th century.

While the surname BOAN is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, including politics, business, religion, and exploration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Boan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Boan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Boan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Boan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Boan, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!