2000
#7,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Board
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter or someone who works with wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,133 Americans carry the last name Board. That puts it at #8,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Board 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Board with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 82,931
Census rank
#8,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,604 bearers of the surname Board in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Board, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Board
The surname BOARD has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "bord," meaning a plank or board, indicating that the original bearers were likely carpenters or woodworkers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Robert le Bord is mentioned. The prefix "le" before the surname indicates it was originally a descriptive name, referring to the individual's occupation or some other distinguishing characteristic.
The BOARD surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Bord." This variation in spelling was common during the Middle Ages, as surnames were not standardized until much later.
Historical records show that the name was prevalent in various regions of England, including Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Somerset. In the late 14th century, a John Board is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, indicating the presence of the surname in that region.
One notable individual bearing the BOARD surname was Sir Christopher Board (1516-1590), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another historically significant figure was Thomas Board (1598-1673), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Compton Pauncefoot in Somerset and authored several religious works.
In the 17th century, the BOARD surname is found in various parish records, such as the baptism of John Board in 1628 in St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, and the marriage of William Board and Elizabeth Harwood in 1669 in Warrington, Lancashire.
The Visitation of Somerset in 1623 also mentions a family named Board, indicating their presence and status in the county at the time.
During the 18th century, the BOARD surname continued to be prominent in various regions of England, with individuals like William Board (1734-1805), a clockmaker from Worcestershire, and John Board (1755-1832), a notable architect from London who designed several churches and public buildings.
As the centuries progressed, the BOARD surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by individuals who emigrated from England in search of new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Board
Among Census respondents with the surname Board, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Board 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 Board surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 2,553
- Black or African American19.8% · 712
- Two or more races4.9% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Board
Board appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
+90 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 429 places
2020
#8,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
-342 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 347 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,959 | 3,856 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,388 | 3,946 | 1.34 | +90 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 429 places |
| 2020 | #8,735 | 3,604 | 1.21 | -342 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 347 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 Board 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 | #8,388 | #8,735 | -4.1% |
| Count | 3,946 | 3,604 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.21 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Board bearers went from 3,946 to 3,604 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 347 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,388 to #8,735.
FAQ
Board surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Board?
Name Census estimates that about 4,133 living Americans carry the surname Board. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,931 residents.
How common is Board?
Board ranks #8,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,604 people with the surname Board. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Board.
Has Board become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Board went from 3,946 recorded bearers to 3,604. That is a decrease of 342 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,388 to #8,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Board?
Among Census respondents with the surname Board, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Board in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (2,553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Board appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (19.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Board (2000, 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 Board mean?
An occupational surname referring to a carpenter or someone who works with wood. 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 Board (1.21 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 many Americans have the surname Board?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.