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

Boaz, 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 Boaz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boaz in America

Boaz is the 10204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boaz surname appeared 3,157 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 Boaz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boaz 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 Boaz

The surname Boaz has its origins in the ancient Hebrew language and is derived from the Biblical name Boaz, which means "strength" or "swiftness." This name is most famously associated with the character of Boaz, a wealthy landowner and relative of Elimelech, who married Ruth, the Moabite woman, in the Book of Ruth.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Boaz can be traced back to the 12th century in medieval England, where it was likely adopted by Jewish families as a mark of their religious identity. It is believed that the name may have been brought to England by Jewish merchants or scholars who had traveled from the Middle East or the Iberian Peninsula.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Boaz was predominantly found in Jewish communities across Europe, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations, such as Spain, France, and Germany. Some notable individuals with the surname Boaz from this period include Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak Boaz, a prominent Talmudic scholar who lived in the 13th century in Catalonia, Spain.

By the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Boaz had spread across Europe and was adopted by both Jewish and Christian families. In England, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a Thomas Boaz was mentioned in 1597.

Throughout the centuries, the Boaz surname has been associated with several notable figures, including Miguel Boaz (1611-1668), a Portuguese-Jewish merchant and diplomat who played a crucial role in the resettlement of Jews in England after their expulsion in 1290. Another prominent individual was Sir Jacob Boaz (1708-1782), a British merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Liverpool.

In the 19th century, the Boaz surname gained prominence in the United States, where it was likely brought by Jewish immigrants from various parts of Europe. One notable American with this surname was Hiram Adolphus Boaz (1866-1943), a prominent businessman and philanthropist who served as the president of the University of Southern California from 1924 to 1928.

While the surname Boaz has its roots in the ancient Hebrew language and is closely tied to Jewish history and culture, it has since been adopted by families of various backgrounds and nationalities, reflecting the diverse and rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boaz

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

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 Boaz 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 Boaz 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 Boaz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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