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

Boclair, 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 Boclair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boclair in America

Boclair is the 80926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boclair surname appeared 234 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Boclair.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boclair 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 Boclair

The surname Boclair is believed to have originated in Scotland, specifically in the region of Lanarkshire. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "bol" and "klettr," meaning "farm" and "rock," respectively. This suggests that the name likely referred to a farm or settlement located near a rocky outcrop or cliff.

The earliest known record of the Boclair name dates back to the late 12th century. A charter from the Abbey of Kelso, dated around 1180, mentions a person named "William de Bothcaymer," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Boclair.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rendered to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The entry "Johannes de Bouhclere" is thought to refer to a member of the Boclair family.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Boclair surname was John Boclair, a landowner who lived in the parish of Cadder, near Glasgow, in the late 14th century. Records show that he was involved in a dispute over land boundaries with a neighboring landowner in 1387.

Another notable Boclair was Robert Boclair, a merchant who lived in Edinburgh in the early 16th century. He is mentioned in the Burgh Records of Edinburgh in 1523, in connection with a trade dispute with a fellow merchant.

In the 17th century, the Boclair name was associated with the lands of Boclair, near the village of Torrance, in East Dunbartonshire. The Boclair Estate was owned by the family of the same name during this period.

One of the most significant figures bearing the Boclair surname was Sir John Boclair (1650-1718), a Scottish landowner and member of the Parliament of Scotland. He was a staunch supporter of the Act of Union between Scotland and England in 1707.

Another individual of note was James Boclair (1735-1809), a Scottish philosopher and writer who published several works on moral philosophy and ethics. He was a professor at the University of Glasgow and was known for his contributions to the Scottish Enlightenment.

In more recent times, the Boclair surname has been carried by individuals such as Archibald Boclair (1865-1941), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who donated funds for the construction of several schools and hospitals in his hometown of Glasgow.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boclair

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

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

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

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