2000
#25,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 932
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Boy
A nickname from the Old English word "boia" meaning servant or farm laborer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,618 Americans carry the last name Boy. That puts it at #7,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boy 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
4.6K
1 in 74,221
Census rank
#7,908
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,027 bearers of the surname Boy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boy, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (18.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boy
The surname BOY is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "boia," which referred to a boy or a servant. This name was likely first used to distinguish individuals who were employed as servants or attendants in noble households or manors.
In the early days, surnames were often descriptive, reflecting a person's occupation, physical characteristics, or place of origin. The name BOY may have been initially assigned as a descriptive surname to young male servants or attendants working in wealthy households or estates.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOY surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1273. This historical record mentions a certain "William le Boy," suggesting the use of the surname in medieval England.
During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a "Thomas Boy" was mentioned. This indicates the gradual spread and establishment of the BOY surname across different regions of England.
In the 15th century, the surname BOY was found in the records of the Court of the Marshalsea, a historical court in London, where a "John Boy" was documented in 1467. This provides evidence of the name's presence in urban areas during that time period.
Notably, the BOY surname has been associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such figure was Sir William Boy, a renowned English judge who lived during the 16th century (c. 1510–1598). He served as a Justice of the King's Bench and played a significant role in the legal system of his time.
Another notable bearer of the BOY surname was Henry Boy (1592–1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of St. John's College, Oxford, and later became the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.
In the realm of literature, John Boy (1765–1819) was an English author and poet, known for his works such as "The Village Curate" and "The Parish Boy's Progress."
The BOY surname also found its way into the military ranks, with figures like Captain John Boy (1777–1858), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
Lastly, William Boy (1849–1923) was a British architect and surveyor who worked on several notable projects in London, including the design of the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boy
Among Census respondents with the surname Boy, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (18.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boy 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 Boy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.0% · 1,773
- Hispanic or Latino26.6% · 1,073
- Black or African American18.7% · 755
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 230
- Two or more races2.9% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boy
Boy 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
#25,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 949
+17 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 896 places
2020
#7,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,027
+3,078 bearers (+324.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 17,994 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,006 | 932 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,902 | 949 | 0.32 | +17 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 896 places |
| 2020 | #7,908 | 4,027 | 1.35 | +3,078 bearers (+324.3%) | Up 17,994 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 Boy 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 | #25,902 | #7,908 | 69.5% |
| Count | 949 | 4,027 | 324.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 1.35 | 321.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boy bearers went from 949 to 4,027 (+324.3% change). The surname moved up 17,994 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,902 to #7,908.
FAQ
Boy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,618 living Americans carry the surname Boy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,221 residents.
How common is Boy?
Boy ranks #7,908 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,027 people with the surname Boy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Boy.
Has Boy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boy went from 949 recorded bearers to 4,027. That is an increase of 3,078 (+324.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,902 to #7,908.
What does the Census say about the background of Boy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boy, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.6%) and Black (18.7%). 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 Boy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.0% (1,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.0%), Hispanic (26.6%), Black (18.7%). 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 Boy (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 Boy mean?
A nickname from the Old English word "boia" meaning servant or farm laborer. 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 Boy (1.35 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 share the surname Boy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.