2000
#164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149,476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 55.41
Common Last name
Boyd
An ancient Scottish surname meaning "blonde" or "fair-haired," derived from the Gaelic nickname "buidhe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 168,965 Americans carry the last name Boyd. That puts it at #182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 49.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyd 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 Boyd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
169K
1 in 2,029
Census rank
#182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
49.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 147,346 bearers of the surname Boyd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 49.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyd
The surname Boyd is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word "boidh" meaning fair or yellow. It is thought to have originated in the 12th century and was initially a descriptive nickname referring to someone with yellow or fair hair.
The earliest recorded instance of the Boyd surname is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during his conquest of Scotland. Robert Boyd of Ayrshire is listed among these names.
Throughout the medieval period, the Boyds were a prominent landowning family in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The family's power and influence grew significantly in the 15th century when Sir Thomas Boyd was appointed Lord of the Isles and Lord High Chamberlain of Scotland by King James II.
The Boyds are mentioned in various historical records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. Place names such as Kilmarnock, Ardrossan, and Portencross were associated with the Boyd family's land holdings.
Notable individuals with the surname Boyd include:
1. Robert Boyd of Trochrig (c. 1578–1627), Scottish theologian and principal of the University of Glasgow.
2. Zachary Boyd (1585–1653), Scottish minister and poet known for his religious works.
3. Sir Thomas Boyd (c. 1654–1726), Scottish architect responsible for designing numerous buildings in Edinburgh.
4. Andrew Boyd (1825–1899), Scottish-American military officer who fought for the Union during the American Civil War.
5. Belle Boyd (1844–1900), Confederate spy during the American Civil War, known as the "Cleopatra of the Secession."
The Boyd surname has since spread globally, with notable bearers in various fields, including literature, politics, and sports. However, its roots can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands and the Gaelic word "boidh," reflecting its origins as a descriptive nickname for someone with fair or yellow hair.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyd
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyd 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 Boyd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.8% · 89,594
- Black or African American29.7% · 43,744
- Two or more races4.6% · 6,842
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 4,679
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1,505
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 982
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyd
Boyd 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
#176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153,469
+3,993 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 52.03
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147,346
-6,123 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 49.30
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #164 | 149,476 | 55.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #176 | 153,469 | 52.03 | +3,993 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #182 | 147,346 | 49.30 | -6,123 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 6 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 Boyd 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 | #176 | #182 | -3.4% |
| Count | 153,469 | 147,346 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 52.03 | 49.30 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyd bearers went from 153,469 to 147,346 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #176 to #182.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boyd
FAQ
Boyd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyd?
Name Census estimates that about 168,965 living Americans carry the surname Boyd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,029 residents.
How common is Boyd?
Boyd ranks #182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 49.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 49 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 147,346 people with the surname Boyd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (168,965), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 49.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 49.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 49 of them to have the surname Boyd.
Has Boyd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyd went from 153,469 recorded bearers to 147,346. That is a decrease of 6,123 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #176 to #182.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyd, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boyd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.8% (89,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.8%), Black (29.7%), Two or More Races (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 Boyd (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 Boyd mean?
An ancient Scottish surname meaning "blonde" or "fair-haired," derived from the Gaelic nickname "buidhe." 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 Boyd (49.30 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 Boyd?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.