2000
#73,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Boje
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "a fighter, warrior".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 288 Americans carry the last name Boje. That puts it at #81,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,190,119 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boje 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
288
1 in 1,190,119
Census rank
#81,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
251
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 251 bearers of the surname Boje in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boje, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boje
The surname BOJE is believed to have originated in Germany and Denmark during the medieval period. It was derived from the Old Norse word "bogi," which means "bow" or "archer." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were skilled archers or worked as bowmen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOJE surname can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Schleswig-Holstein, which was then part of Denmark. The name was mentioned in a document from 1248, referring to a person named Boje Svensson.
During the Middle Ages, the BOJE surname was also found in various parts of northern Germany, particularly in areas with strong Danish influence, such as Holstein and Mecklenburg. Some variations of the spelling included Boie, Boye, and Bojen.
In the 15th century, the BOJE name appeared in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful trading guild that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe. One notable figure was Hans Boje, a merchant from Lübeck who traded extensively with other Hanseatic cities in the late 1400s.
As the name spread across different regions, it sometimes became associated with specific places. For instance, the village of Bojendorf in Schleswig-Holstein likely derived its name from the BOJE surname, indicating that the area may have been settled by individuals bearing this name.
Notable individuals with the BOJE surname throughout history include:
1. Hinrich Boje (1570-1640), a German composer and organist from Lübeck.
2. Johann Boje (1711-1786), a German jurist and philosopher from Holstein.
3. Wilhelm Boje (1809-1898), a Danish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for Denmark.
4. Franz Boje (1868-1938), a German architect known for designing buildings in the Art Nouveau style.
5. Niels Boje (1913-1998), a Danish playwright and screenwriter who wrote several acclaimed works for theater and film.
While the BOJE surname has its roots in northern Germany and Denmark, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and various historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boje
Among Census respondents with the surname Boje, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Boje 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 Boje surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 217
- Two or more races5.2% · 13
- Black or African American4.8% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boje
Boje 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
#79,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239
-7 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,186 places
2020
#81,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
+12 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,713 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,412 | 246 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,598 | 239 | 0.08 | -7 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 6,186 places |
| 2020 | #81,311 | 251 | 0.08 | +12 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 1,713 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 Boje 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 | #79,598 | #81,311 | -2.2% |
| Count | 239 | 251 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | 5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boje bearers went from 239 to 251 (+5.0% change). The surname moved down 1,713 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,598 to #81,311.
FAQ
Boje surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boje?
Name Census estimates that about 288 living Americans carry the surname Boje. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,190,119 residents.
How common is Boje?
Boje ranks #81,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 251 people with the surname Boje. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Boje.
Has Boje become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boje went from 239 recorded bearers to 251. That is an increase of 12 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #79,598 to #81,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Boje?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boje, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (4.8%). 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 Boje in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (217 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boje appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Black (4.8%). 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 Boje (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 Boje mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Slavic word meaning "a fighter, warrior". 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 Boje (0.08 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 Americans have the surname Boje?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.