2000
#1,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.72
Uncommon Last name
Boyce
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wooded area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,865 Americans carry the last name Boyce. That puts it at #1,327 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,477 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyce 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Boyce with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,477
Census rank
#1,327
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,044 bearers of the surname Boyce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1327th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyce
The surname Boyce has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word "bois," meaning "woods" or "forest." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bois" and "Boys." These entries suggest that the name had already become established in England by the late 11th century, possibly introduced by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name took on various spellings, including "Boyce," "Boyes," and "Boyse," reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. These spellings were often interchangeable, and it was not until the 16th century that the modern spelling "Boyce" became more standardized.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Boyce, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1347. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Boyce, a military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Boyce was associated with several prominent individuals, including Sir Roger Boyce, a member of the English gentry, and Robert Boyce, a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Boyce gained further recognition through individuals such as Benjamin Boyce (1659-1718), an English theologian and author, and William Boyce (1711-1779), a renowned English composer and organist.
Into the 19th century, notable bearers of the name included Rugeley George Boyce (1793-1866), an English architect, and James Boyce (1815-1899), an Australian botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of Tasmanian flora.
Throughout its history, the surname Boyce has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, military figures, and explorers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name of French origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyce
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyce 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 Boyce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 18,501
- Black or African American19.9% · 5,174
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,169
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 883
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyce
Boyce 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
#1,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,376
+147 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 8.94
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#1,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,044
-332 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 8.71
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,223 | 26,229 | 9.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,337 | 26,376 | 8.94 | +147 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #1,327 | 26,044 | 8.71 | -332 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 10 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 Boyce 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 | #1,337 | #1,327 | 0.7% |
| Count | 26,376 | 26,044 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.94 | 8.71 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyce bearers went from 26,376 to 26,044 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,337 to #1,327.
FAQ
Boyce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyce?
Name Census estimates that about 29,865 living Americans carry the surname Boyce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,477 residents.
How common is Boyce?
Boyce ranks #1,327 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,044 people with the surname Boyce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Boyce.
Has Boyce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyce went from 26,376 recorded bearers to 26,044. That is a decrease of 332 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,337 to #1,327.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyce, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Boyce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (18,501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Boyce (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 Boyce mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wooded area." 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 Boyce (8.71 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 Boyce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.