2000
#12,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Boydston
Derived from a place name meaning "Boyd's town" or "Boyd's settlement" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,230 Americans carry the last name Boydston. That puts it at #14,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boydston 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
2.2K
1 in 153,701
Census rank
#14,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,945 bearers of the surname Boydston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boydston, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boydston
The surname Boydston is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bode," meaning "dwelling," and "tun," meaning "enclosure" or "town." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a particular dwelling or settlement.
One of the earliest known references to the name Boydston can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of land ownership and taxation in medieval England. The name appears as "Boydeston," with the spelling being a variation of the modern form.
In the 15th century, the name Boydston was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Northamptonshire, where it was spelled as "Boydeston." These rolls were tax records that documented the names of individuals who were required to pay a subsidy, or tax, to the crown.
The Boydston surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Boydeston in Derbyshire and Boydeston in Shropshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable individual with the surname Boydston was Sir John Boydston, who lived in the late 16th century and was a prominent landowner in Warwickshire. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was William Boydston, born in 1642, who served as a captain in the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Boydston surname appeared in various parish records and court documents throughout England. One such record from 1712 mentions a Thomas Boydston, who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights in Gloucestershire.
The 19th century saw the Boydston name spread beyond England, with individuals bearing the surname migrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this era was Robert Boydston, born in 1824, who was a successful businessman and philanthropist in the United States.
Throughout its history, the Boydston surname has maintained a strong presence, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, from military service to business and beyond. While the exact origins of the name may remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, its enduring legacy serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of English surnames and their cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boydston
Among Census respondents with the surname Boydston, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Boydston 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 Boydston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 1,663
- Two or more races5.9% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 68
- Black or African American2.3% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boydston
Boydston 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
#13,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,161
-90 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 1,343 places
2020
#14,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
-216 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 717 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,616 | 2,251 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,959 | 2,161 | 0.73 | -90 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 1,343 places |
| 2020 | #14,676 | 1,945 | 0.65 | -216 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 717 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 Boydston 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 | #13,959 | #14,676 | -5.1% |
| Count | 2,161 | 1,945 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.65 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boydston bearers went from 2,161 to 1,945 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 717 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,959 to #14,676.
FAQ
Boydston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boydston?
Name Census estimates that about 2,230 living Americans carry the surname Boydston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,701 residents.
How common is Boydston?
Boydston ranks #14,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,945 people with the surname Boydston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Boydston.
Has Boydston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boydston went from 2,161 recorded bearers to 1,945. That is a decrease of 216 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,959 to #14,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Boydston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boydston, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Boydston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (1,663 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boydston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Boydston (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 Boydston mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Boyd's town" or "Boyd's settlement" 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 Boydston (0.65 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 Boydston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.