2000
#27,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 824
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Boyum
A Scandinavian surname derived from the Old Norse word "bú" meaning a farm or dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,134 Americans carry the last name Boyum. That puts it at #26,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 302,253 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boyum 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
1.1K
1 in 302,253
Census rank
#26,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
989
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 989 bearers of the surname Boyum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boyum
The surname Boyum originates from Norway and is believed to have derived from a Norwegian place name. It is likely that the name has its roots in the Old Norse language, which was spoken in Scandinavia during the Viking Age (793-1066 CE). The earliest known examples of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in Norwegian records.
One possible explanation for the origin of the name Boyum is that it is derived from the Old Norse word "býr," which means a farm or a settlement. The suffix "-um" may have been added to indicate a place or location, thus forming the name Boyum, which could have referred to a particular farm or settlement in Norway.
Another theory suggests that the name Boyum may be derived from the Old Norse word "bú," meaning a household or a dwelling place. In this case, the name could have been used to identify someone who lived in a specific household or dwelling known as Boyum.
It is worth noting that place names were often used as surnames in Norway, and the name Boyum is likely to have originated from a specific geographical location in the country. However, the exact place or region from which the name originated is not clearly documented.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Boyum can be found in the Norwegian Census of 1665, where a person named Jens Boyum is listed. Another early record dates back to 1701, mentioning a man named Ole Boyum in the parish records of Eidskog, Norway.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Boyum. For example, Asbjørn Boyum (1923-2007) was a Norwegian chemist and professor who made significant contributions to the field of biochemistry. Morten Boyum (born 1958) is a Norwegian politician and a former member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname Boyum include:
1. Bjørn Boyum (1926-2014), a Norwegian engineer and entrepreneur.
2. Knut Boyum (1863-1942), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting.
3. Olav Boyum (1892-1972), a Norwegian painter and illustrator.
4. Sverre Boyum (1897-1980), a Norwegian engineer and inventor.
5. Trygve Boyum (1899-1971), a Norwegian journalist and writer.
It is important to note that while these examples provide insight into the historical presence of the surname Boyum, they may not represent an exhaustive list of all individuals who have carried this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boyum
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Boyum 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 Boyum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 927
- Two or more races2.7% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boyum
Boyum 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
#27,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 862
+38 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 319 places
2020
#26,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 989
+127 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 1,803 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,526 | 824 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,845 | 862 | 0.29 | +38 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 319 places |
| 2020 | #26,042 | 989 | 0.33 | +127 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 1,803 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 Boyum 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 | #27,845 | #26,042 | 6.5% |
| Count | 862 | 989 | 14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.33 | 14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boyum bearers went from 862 to 989 (+14.7% change). The surname moved up 1,803 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,845 to #26,042.
FAQ
Boyum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boyum?
Name Census estimates that about 1,134 living Americans carry the surname Boyum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 302,253 residents.
How common is Boyum?
Boyum ranks #26,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 989 people with the surname Boyum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boyum.
Has Boyum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boyum went from 862 recorded bearers to 989. That is an increase of 127 (+14.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #27,845 to #26,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Boyum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boyum, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Boyum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boyum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Boyum (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 Boyum mean?
A Scandinavian surname derived from the Old Norse word "bú" meaning a farm or dwelling. 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 Boyum (0.33 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 Boyum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.