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

Boivin, 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 Boivin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boivin in America

Boivin is the 13445th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boivin surname appeared 2,265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Boivin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boivin 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 Boivin

The surname BOIVIN is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "boivin," which means "little ox-herd" or "little cowherd." This occupational surname was likely given to those who worked as cattle herders or cowboys in medieval times. It is particularly associated with the Normandy region of northern France.

In the early 12th century, the surname BOIVIN first appeared in historical records from the region of Normandy. One of the earliest known references is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Robertus Bovinvs in the county of Gloucestershire, England. This suggests that the name had already spread to England by the time of the Norman conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the name BOIVIN was frequently recorded in various forms, such as Bovin, Bovyn, Bouvin, and Bouvyn, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Some of the earliest recorded examples include Robert Boivin, a landowner in Normandy in 1195, and Jehan Boivin, a merchant from Paris in 1298.

One notable bearer of the BOIVIN name was Jean-Baptiste Boivin, a French botanist and physician who lived from 1773 to 1857. He made significant contributions to the field of botany and was a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Another prominent figure was René Boivin, a French explorer and ethnographer who lived from 1864 to 1917 and conducted extensive research in the Pacific Islands.

In the 17th century, the BOIVIN surname was also found in Canada, where many French settlers had immigrated. One of the earliest recorded instances was Jacques Boivin, who arrived in Quebec in 1634 and became a prominent landowner in the Beaupré region. Another notable Canadian bearer of the name was Joseph Boivin, a politician and lawyer from Quebec who lived from 1868 to 1936.

The BOIVIN surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Bouvines, a commune in the Nord department, and Bouville, a commune in the Essonne department. These place names likely derived from the same root word as the surname, reflecting the historical connection between occupations and geographic locations.

Overall, the surname BOIVIN has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval France, where it originated as an occupational name for cattle herders. Throughout the centuries, it has been borne by notable figures across various fields, and its geographic distribution has expanded beyond its initial origins in Normandy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boivin

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

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

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

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