2000
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Boes
A surname of German origin, derived from a short form of the given name Burkhard, meaning "strong protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,703 Americans carry the last name Boes. That puts it at #12,551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boes 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,805
Census rank
#12,551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,357 bearers of the surname Boes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boes
The surname BOES traces its origins to the Netherlands, where it emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "boe," which referred to a type of water meadow or marshy area. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational or topographic surname, given to individuals who resided near or worked in such marshy regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch historical records from the city of Leiden in the 15th century. The name was spelled as "Boes" and was associated with a family residing in the area. This spelling variation hints at the potential evolution of the name over time, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic changes.
In the 16th century, the BOES surname appeared in various municipal records and historical documents across the Netherlands. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Pieter BOES, a merchant from Amsterdam who was active in the city's flourishing trade networks, and Jan BOES, a renowned painter from Delft who specialized in landscape and still-life paintings.
As the Dutch colonial expansion took place in the 17th and 18th centuries, the BOES surname spread to other parts of the world, including the Dutch colonies in the Americas and the East Indies. This diaspora contributed to the further dissemination and diversification of the name.
One prominent figure with the BOES surname was Cornelis BOES (1610-1675), a Dutch navigator and explorer who was part of the Dutch East India Company's expeditions to the East Indies. His voyages and contributions to cartography and navigation played a significant role in the Dutch colonial endeavors in the region.
Another notable individual was Johannes BOES (1720-1785), a Dutch philosopher and theologian who made important contributions to the Enlightenment movement in the Netherlands. His writings on ethics, religion, and social reform influenced intellectual circles during his time.
In the 19th century, the BOES surname continued to be well-represented in various fields. Willem BOES (1837-1904) was a respected Dutch lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Dutch parliament, advocating for legal reforms and social justice.
The surname BOES has also been associated with several place names in the Netherlands, such as Boeskool and Boesenburg, further reinforcing its connection to the region's geography and local traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boes
Among Census respondents with the surname Boes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Boes 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 Boes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,199
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 66
- Two or more races2.8% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boes
Boes 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
#12,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,543
+171 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#12,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,357
-186 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,070 | 2,372 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,236 | 2,543 | 0.86 | +171 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #12,551 | 2,357 | 0.79 | -186 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 315 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 Boes 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 | #12,236 | #12,551 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,543 | 2,357 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boes bearers went from 2,543 to 2,357 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 315 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,236 to #12,551.
FAQ
Boes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,703 living Americans carry the surname Boes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,805 residents.
How common is Boes?
Boes ranks #12,551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,357 people with the surname Boes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Boes.
Has Boes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boes went from 2,543 recorded bearers to 2,357. That is a decrease of 186 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,236 to #12,551.
What does the Census say about the background of Boes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boes, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Boes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Boes (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 Boes mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a short form of the given name Burkhard, meaning "strong protection." 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 Boes (0.79 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 common is the surname Boes?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Boes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.