2000
#802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.51
Uncommon Last name
Boyle
An Irish topographic surname derived from the Gaelic "baile," meaning "town," likely referring to someone from a town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,608 Americans carry the last name Boyle. That puts it at #905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyle 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 Boyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,860
Census rank
#905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,028 bearers of the surname Boyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyle
The surname Boyle is of Norman-Irish origin and has been prominent in Ireland since the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "boisle", meaning a small wood or thicket, likely referring to a place of residence or landholding.
The name first emerged in County Cork, where the family held extensive territories and lands around the town of Youghal. They were among the most powerful Norman families to settle in Ireland after the Norman invasion of 1169.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne, a medieval tax record dating back to 1260, where a Richard de Boyle is mentioned. The name also appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, suggesting its widespread use in the region.
The Boyle family played a significant role in Irish history, with several notable members. Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (1566-1643), was a prominent statesman and landowner who amassed vast estates and became one of the wealthiest men in Ireland. His son, Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery (1621-1679), was a noted soldier and writer.
Another renowned figure was Robert Boyle (1627-1691), a renowned philosopher, chemist, and physicist, often considered the first modern chemist. He is best known for Boyle's Law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas.
In the 18th century, John Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork and Orrery (1707-1762), was a prominent writer and literary patron, known for his translations of classical works and his support of writers like Samuel Johnson.
The name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Boyleside, a village in County Armagh, and Boylesgrove, a townland in County Cork, reflecting the family's historical presence and influence in these regions.
Throughout its history, the Boyle surname has been subject to various spellings, including Boile, Boylle, and Boil, reflecting the linguistic variations and orthographic conventions of different eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyle 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 Boyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 34,650
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,294
- Two or more races2.7% · 1,036
- Black or African American1.8% · 701
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 266
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyle
Boyle 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
#866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,921
+780 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 13.53
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,028
-1,893 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 12.72
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #802 | 39,141 | 14.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #866 | 39,921 | 13.53 | +780 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #905 | 38,028 | 12.72 | -1,893 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 39 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 Boyle 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 | #866 | #905 | -4.5% |
| Count | 39,921 | 38,028 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.53 | 12.72 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyle bearers went from 39,921 to 38,028 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #866 to #905.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boyle
FAQ
Boyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyle?
Name Census estimates that about 43,608 living Americans carry the surname Boyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,860 residents.
How common is Boyle?
Boyle ranks #905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,028 people with the surname Boyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,608), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Boyle.
Has Boyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyle went from 39,921 recorded bearers to 38,028. That is a decrease of 1,893 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #866 to #905.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (34,650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boyle (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 Boyle mean?
An Irish topographic surname derived from the Gaelic "baile," meaning "town," likely referring to someone from a town. 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 Boyle (12.72 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 common is the surname Boyle?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Boyle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.