2000
#2,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.14
Uncommon Last name
Boykin
From an Old English place name meaning "the king's dwelling," or from the Welsh "ab Owain," meaning "son of Owen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,957 Americans carry the last name Boykin. That puts it at #2,130 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boykin 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
19K
1 in 18,081
Census rank
#2,130
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,531 bearers of the surname Boykin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2130th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boykin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boykin
The surname Boykin originates from England, specifically from the region of Lancashire. It is believed to have first emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "boc," meaning "beech," and the diminutive suffix "-kin," which was commonly used to form diminutive or affectionate names. Thus, Boykin likely referred to someone who lived near a small beech tree or a beech grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boykin can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from the year 1246, where it is listed as "William de Bokekyns." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's association with a particular place or geographic feature.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Bockyn," "Bokkyng," and "Bokkin," reflecting the fluid nature of spelling during that period. A notable example is John Bokkin, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332.
During the 16th century, the surname Boykin began to take its more modern spelling. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this spelling was Thomas Boykin, who was born in Lancashire around 1520. He was a merchant and landowner, and his family's coat of arms featured three beech trees, likely a reference to the origins of their surname.
In the 17th century, the Boykin family gained prominence in Lancashire, with several members holding positions of influence. One such individual was Robert Boykin (1612-1680), who served as a magistrate and was known for his involvement in local politics.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Boykin (1638-1712), a Quaker minister and author. She traveled extensively throughout England and the American colonies, spreading her religious teachings and writing several influential works on Quaker beliefs.
As the British Empire expanded, the Boykin surname spread to other parts of the world. One notable example is John Boykin (1720-1801), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1765 to 1771.
In the 19th century, the Boykin name gained recognition in the United States through the accomplishments of individuals like Francis Boykin (1819-1898), a prominent lawyer and politician from Virginia, and Thomas Boykin (1835-1912), a Confederate Army officer during the American Civil War.
Throughout its history, the surname Boykin has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from merchants and landowners to religious leaders, administrators, and military personnel. While its origins can be traced back to a humble descriptive name in Lancashire, the Boykin name has left its mark on the histories of England, the United States, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boykin
Among Census respondents with the surname Boykin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Boykin 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 Boykin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.8% · 8,072
- White42.3% · 6,995
- Two or more races5.2% · 852
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 503
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boykin
Boykin 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
#2,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,255
+690 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 5.85
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#2,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,531
-724 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,008 | 16,565 | 6.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,096 | 17,255 | 5.85 | +690 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #2,130 | 16,531 | 5.53 | -724 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 34 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 Boykin 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 | #2,096 | #2,130 | -1.6% |
| Count | 17,255 | 16,531 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.85 | 5.53 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boykin bearers went from 17,255 to 16,531 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,096 to #2,130.
FAQ
Boykin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boykin?
Name Census estimates that about 18,957 living Americans carry the surname Boykin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,081 residents.
How common is Boykin?
Boykin ranks #2,130 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,531 people with the surname Boykin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,957), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Boykin.
Has Boykin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boykin went from 17,255 recorded bearers to 16,531. That is a decrease of 724 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,096 to #2,130.
What does the Census say about the background of Boykin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boykin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.8%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boykin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.8% (8,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boykin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.8%), White (42.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Boykin (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 Boykin mean?
From an Old English place name meaning "the king's dwelling," or from the Welsh "ab Owain," meaning "son of Owen." 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 Boykin (5.53 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 share the surname Boykin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.