2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boites
A French surname derived from the word "boîte" meaning "box" or "case".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 198 Americans carry the last name Boites. That puts it at #108,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,731,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boites 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
198
1 in 1,731,083
Census rank
#108,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
173
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 173 bearers of the surname Boites in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boites, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boites
The surname "BOITES" is believed to have originated in France during the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "boite," which means "box" or "case." The name may have been given to someone who made or sold boxes, or perhaps lived near a place where boxes were made or stored.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BOITES" can be found in a medieval French document from the year 1286, which mentions a person named "Jehan Boites" living in the village of Chateau-Thierry, located in the Champagne region of northeastern France. This suggests that the name was already established in that area by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of France, as evidenced by a reference to a "Guillaume Boites" in a tax record from the city of Lyon, dated 1342. This indicates that the name had become more widespread by that time.
During the 15th century, the surname "BOITES" is found in various historical records from different regions of France, such as a mention of a "Pierre Boites" in a land deed from the village of Beaumont-sur-Oise in 1421, and a "Jean Boites" listed in a census record from the town of Montpellier in 1489.
One notable person with the surname "BOITES" was a French painter named Nicolas Boites, who lived from approximately 1530 to 1606. He was a prominent artist during the Renaissance period and is known for his portraits and religious paintings. Some of his works can still be seen in churches and museums throughout France.
Another individual with this surname was a French writer and philosopher named Étienne Boites, who was born in 1672 and died in 1747. He was an influential figure during the Age of Enlightenment and wrote several books on topics such as ethics, politics, and religion.
In the 18th century, the name "BOITES" appears in various birth and marriage records from different parts of France, indicating that the surname was well-established across the country by that time. One example is a baptismal record from 1745 in the town of Rennes, which mentions a child named "Marie-Anne Boites."
A more recent historical figure with the surname "BOITES" was a French military officer named Émile Boites, who lived from 1834 to 1901. He served in the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his bravery in battle.
While the surname "BOITES" is primarily associated with France, it is also found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and surname changes over time. However, the origins of the name can be traced back to the Old French word "boite" and its earliest recorded use in medieval France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boites
Among Census respondents with the surname Boites, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Boites 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 Boites surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.4% · 165
- White4.6% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boites
Boites 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+54 bearers (+50.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 33,561 places
2020
#108,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173
+13 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 1,321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +54 bearers (+50.9%) | Up 33,561 places |
| 2020 | #108,965 | 173 | 0.06 | +13 bearers (+8.1%) | Up 1,321 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 Boites 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 | #110,286 | #108,965 | 1.2% |
| Count | 160 | 173 | 8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boites bearers went from 160 to 173 (+8.1% change). The surname moved up 1,321 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #108,965.
FAQ
Boites surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boites?
Name Census estimates that about 198 living Americans carry the surname Boites. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,731,083 residents.
How common is Boites?
Boites ranks #108,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 173 people with the surname Boites. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Boites.
Has Boites become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boites went from 160 recorded bearers to 173. That is an increase of 13 (+8.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #110,286 to #108,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Boites?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boites, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boites in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boites appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.4%), White (4.6%). 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 Boites (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 Boites mean?
A French surname derived from the word "boîte" meaning "box" or "case". 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 Boites (0.06 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 Boites?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.