2000
#5,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,928
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Boardman
An occupational surname referring to a woodworker specializing in making boards or a dweller by a plank bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,650 Americans carry the last name Boardman. That puts it at #5,761 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boardman 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 Boardman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,542
Census rank
#5,761
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,799 bearers of the surname Boardman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5761st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boardman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boardman
The surname Boardman is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period in Britain. It is a locational surname derived from various place names that include the Old English word "bord" meaning a plank or board, combined with the word "mann" meaning a man or person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boardman appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this record, the name is spelled as "Bordeman" and refers to individuals residing in areas such as Boardman near Oldham, Lancashire, or Boardman in Cheshire.
The name Boardman can also be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1230 and the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332. These records provide insights into the geographical distribution of the name during that period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Boardman was John Boardman, born in Cheshire around 1350. He was a merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the local community. Another notable figure was Thomas Boardman (c. 1505-1572), a clergyman who served as the Rector of Buxton in Derbyshire.
In the 16th century, the Boardman family established itself in Warwickshire, where they held estates and positions of influence. Sir John Boardman (1545-1623) was a prominent member of this family, serving as a Justice of the Peace and a member of the English Parliament.
Moving forward to the 17th century, Richard Boardman (1621-1689) was a celebrated Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the religious life of England during the turbulent period of the English Civil War and the Restoration.
Other notable individuals with the surname Boardman include John Boardman (1758-1840), a British botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of flora in Australia, and Thomas Boardman (1784-1864), an American clergyman and author who was actively involved in the anti-slavery movement.
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname have been observed, including Boardeman, Bordeman, and Burdman, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of different areas where the name was common.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boardman
Among Census respondents with the surname Boardman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boardman 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 Boardman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 5,253
- Two or more races3.8% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 65
- Black or African American1.0% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boardman
Boardman 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
#5,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,938
+10 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 416 places
2020
#5,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,799
-139 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,407 | 5,928 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,823 | 5,938 | 2.01 | +10 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 416 places |
| 2020 | #5,761 | 5,799 | 1.94 | -139 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 62 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 Boardman 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 | #5,823 | #5,761 | 1.1% |
| Count | 5,938 | 5,799 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.94 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boardman bearers went from 5,938 to 5,799 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,823 to #5,761.
FAQ
Boardman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boardman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,650 living Americans carry the surname Boardman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,542 residents.
How common is Boardman?
Boardman ranks #5,761 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,799 people with the surname Boardman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Boardman.
Has Boardman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boardman went from 5,938 recorded bearers to 5,799. That is a decrease of 139 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,823 to #5,761.
What does the Census say about the background of Boardman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boardman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Boardman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (5,253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boardman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Boardman (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 Boardman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a woodworker specializing in making boards or a dweller by a plank bridge. 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 Boardman (1.94 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 Boardman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.