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

Boies, 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 Boies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boies in America

Boies is the 50771st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boies surname appeared 411 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 Boies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boies 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 Boies

The surname BOIES has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bois," meaning "wood" or "forest," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Bois" and "Boyes," indicating its French roots.

During the Middle Ages, the name BOIES was particularly prevalent in the region of Normandy, France. Records from this period show several notable individuals bearing the name, including Hugues du Bois, a Norman nobleman who participated in the Third Crusade in the late 12th century.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Boyes," "Boyce," and "Boyes." In England, the name was often anglicized to "Boys" or "Boyce," while in Scotland, it was sometimes rendered as "Bois" or "Boyes."

One of the earliest documented bearers of the name in England was Sir John Boyes, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Nottinghamshire during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir Richard Boyes, a soldier and Member of Parliament who lived in the 16th century.

In the United States, the name BOIES can be traced back to the 17th century, when French Huguenot immigrants brought the name to the New World. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Samuel Boyes, who was born in Massachusetts in 1674.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname BOIES, including:

1. John Boies (1775-1857), an American politician and jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
2. Henry Martyn Boies (1835-1923), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Iowa.
3. David Boies (born 1941), a prominent American lawyer known for his role in several high-profile legal cases, including the Microsoft antitrust case and the Bush v. Gore presidential election dispute.
4. Mary Boies (1873-1957), an American educator and suffragist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in New York.
5. Frank Boies (1864-1937), an American artist and illustrator best known for his paintings of Native American subjects.

While the surname BOIES has evolved over time and across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the Old French word "bois," reflecting its connection to the natural world and the forests of medieval France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boies

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

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

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

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