2000
#12,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Boyden
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Boia's valley" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,462 Americans carry the last name Boyden. That puts it at #13,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyden 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 Boyden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,218
Census rank
#13,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,147 bearers of the surname Boyden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyden
The surname Boyden is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "boga" and "denu," meaning "dweller by the bend or curve" or "dweller in the valley."
One of the earliest known records of the name Boyden can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like document from 1273, which lists a Robert de Bogedene. This suggests that the name was initially used as a place name, referring to someone who lived near a particular geographical feature.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Bogdene, Bogedene, and Bogeden, reflecting the variations in local dialects and scribal practices of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327 include a reference to a John de Bogedene, providing further evidence of the name's early use.
During the 15th century, the surname Boyden started to become more standardized in its spelling, likely due to the increasing influence of written records and the establishment of more consistent naming conventions. One notable individual from this period was John Boyden, born in 1456 in Shropshire, who served as a member of the local gentry.
In the 16th century, the Boyden family had established a presence in several counties across England. Thomas Boyden (1520-1584), a landowner from Oxfordshire, was involved in a legal dispute over property rights, which is documented in court records from the time.
As the centuries progressed, the Boyden surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. William Boyden (1638-1710), a merchant from Norfolk, was among the early settlers in the American colonies, arriving in Massachusetts in 1663.
Other notable individuals bearing the Boyden surname include:
1. Seth Boyden (1779-1870), an American inventor and manufacturer credited with several innovations in the production of patent leather and malleable iron.
2. Uriah Atherton Boyden (1804-1879), an American inventor and mechanical engineer, best known for his patented turbine water wheel design.
3. Elbridge Boyden (1810-1898), an American architect and builder who designed several prominent structures in Massachusetts, including the Worcester County Courthouse and the Mechanics Hall in Worcester.
4. Rudolph Boyden (1818-1900), a British artist and engraver, known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the English countryside.
5. Willard Boyden (1864-1928), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyden
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyden 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 Boyden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 1,731
- Black or African American10.1% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 87
- Two or more races3.6% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyden
Boyden 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
#13,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,307
+57 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#13,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,147
-160 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,624 | 2,250 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,236 | 2,307 | 0.78 | +57 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #13,535 | 2,147 | 0.72 | -160 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 299 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 Boyden 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 | #13,236 | #13,535 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,307 | 2,147 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyden bearers went from 2,307 to 2,147 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 299 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,236 to #13,535.
FAQ
Boyden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,462 living Americans carry the surname Boyden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,218 residents.
How common is Boyden?
Boyden ranks #13,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,147 people with the surname Boyden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Boyden.
Has Boyden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyden went from 2,307 recorded bearers to 2,147. That is a decrease of 160 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,236 to #13,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Boyden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (1,731 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (10.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Boyden (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 Boyden mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Boia's valley" in Old English. 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 Boyden (0.72 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 are called Boyden?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Boyden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.