2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bohy
A variant spelling of the German surname "Boehm" referring to a person of Bohemian ancestry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bohy. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bohy 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bohy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohy, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bohy
The surname "BOHY" is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "bohe," which referred to a hill or a small mountain.
Many of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BOHY" can be found in various German records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, there are references to individuals with this surname in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of several towns and villages in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
One notable early bearer of the "BOHY" surname was Hans Bohy, a farmer who lived in the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, in the late 16th century. His name is recorded in the village's Steuerbücher (tax records) from 1592.
Another individual of historical significance was Matthias Bohy, a Protestant minister who lived in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, in the early 17th century. He is mentioned in various church and municipal records from the period, and is known to have been involved in the religious conflicts of the time.
In the 18th century, the "BOHY" surname began to spread beyond its original German roots, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Johann Bohy, who was born in the town of Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, in 1723. He later emigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States, where he and his family settled in the area that is now known as Berks County.
Another notable bearer of the "BOHY" surname was Heinrich Bohy, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1784, and is known for his intricate copperplate engravings and etchings.
As the centuries progressed, the "BOHY" surname continued to be found in various regions of Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe and the Americas where German immigrants had settled. While not a particularly common name, it has persisted over time and can still be found among families with German ancestry today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bohy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohy, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bohy 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 Bohy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bohy
Bohy 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 7,338 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 Bohy 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 | #142,108 | #149,446 | -5.2% |
| Count | 117 | 110 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bohy bearers went from 117 to 110 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 7,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bohy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bohy?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bohy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bohy?
Bohy ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Bohy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bohy.
Has Bohy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bohy went from 117 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bohy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohy, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Bohy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bohy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Bohy (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 Bohy mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname "Boehm" referring to a person of Bohemian ancestry. 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 Bohy (0.04 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 have the surname Bohy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.