Find out how popular the last name Boyer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Boyer.

Boyer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Boyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boyer in America

Boyer is the 676th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boyer surname appeared 50,742 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Boyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boyer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Boyer

The surname Boyer is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word 'bouvier', which means an ox-herder or cowherd. The name likely originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in areas where cattle farming was prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Boyer surname can be found in the 13th century Ecclesiastical Tax Rolls of Yorkshire, England. These records indicate that individuals bearing this name may have migrated from France to England during that time period.

In France, the name Boyer is closely associated with several regions, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region. The earliest known bearer of the name was Hugues Boyer, a landowner from the village of Boissy-la-Rivière in the Île-de-France region, who lived in the late 12th century.

The Boyer surname has a rich history and has been borne by many notable individuals over the centuries. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Charles Boyer, a French actor born in 1899 and known for his roles in Hollywood films such as "Gaslight" and "Love Affair". He passed away in 1978.

Another notable figure was Jacques Boyer, a French mathematician and philosopher who lived from 1592 to 1668. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is credited with developing the concept of the vortex theory in physics.

In the realm of literature, Victor Marie Hugo's novel "Les Misérables" features a character named Thénardier, whose wife's maiden name was Boyer. This literary reference highlights the prevalence of the surname in 19th-century France.

The Boyer name has also been associated with several place names in France, such as Boyer-Éperon, a commune in the Drôme department, and Boyer, a village in the Saône-et-Loire department. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Boyer surname who settled in these areas.

Other notable individuals with the Boyer surname include Lucien Boyer, a French composer and songwriter born in 1876, and Jean-Pierre Boyer, the second President of Haiti, who ruled from 1818 to 1843.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boyer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Boyer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Boyer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Boyer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Boyer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Boyer, please contact us.

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