2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Boheler
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Boheler. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boheler 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Boheler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boheler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boheler
The surname BOHELER has its origins in the Middle English word 'boheler', which means 'archer' or 'bowman'. This occupational name dates back to the 13th century and is believed to have originated in England. The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, where it appears as 'Nicholaus le Bogheler' in 1273.
During the medieval period, archery was a highly valued skill, and those proficient in the use of the longbow were in high demand. The name BOHELER likely referred to individuals who were employed as archers or bowmen, either in military service or as gamekeepers on large estates.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John le Bogheler is mentioned in 1315. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with the spelling 'Johannes le Boghere'.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a Robert le Bogheler is mentioned in 1279. Another notable early bearer of the name was John Bogheler, who was recorded in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344.
As the name spread across England, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Bogheler, Boghler, Boghuler, and eventually, the modern spelling of BOHELER emerged. Some of the earliest recorded examples of this spelling include Thomas Boheler, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524, and Richard Boheler, who was listed in the Musters of the Inhabitants of Suffolk in 1569.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname BOHELER was Sir John Boheler, a prominent military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He served under King Edward III and was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Another significant bearer of the name was William Boheler, a renowned architect from the 16th century, who was responsible for the design of several churches and manor houses in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname BOHELER include Robert Boheler (1587-1659), a Puritan minister and author in colonial New England; Sir Thomas Boheler (1697-1768), a British politician and landowner in Oxfordshire; and Elizabeth Boheler (1816-1892), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the earliest schools for girls in Lancashire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boheler
Among Census respondents with the surname Boheler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Boheler 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 Boheler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 98
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boheler
Boheler 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,767 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-31 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,857 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,767 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -31 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 25,857 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 Boheler 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 | #129,825 | #155,682 | -19.9% |
| Count | 131 | 100 | -23.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boheler bearers went from 131 to 100 (-23.7% change). The surname moved down 25,857 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #155,682.
FAQ
Boheler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boheler?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Boheler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Boheler?
Boheler ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Boheler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boheler.
Has Boheler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boheler went from 131 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 31 (-23.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Boheler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boheler, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Boheler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boheler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Boheler (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 Boheler mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Boheler (0.03 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 people are called Boheler?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Boheler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.