NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Boaz

A Hebrew masculine name meaning "strength" or "swiftness".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Boaz is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Boaz popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1162, with 24 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 26 births.

This profile covers 327 England and Wales registrations across 25 recorded years from 1999 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 92% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 328 living people in the UK are called Boaz. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Boaz ranked #1162 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 24 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 26 boys were registered as Boaz.
  • Boaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.
  • About 328 living people in the UK are estimated to have Boaz as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1162

2024

Births in 2024

24

Latest year

Peak year

2021

26 births

Estimated living

328

2026

Meaning

What does Boaz mean?

The name Boaz has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "בועז" (Bo'az), which means "swiftness" or "strength." The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East, particularly in the region now known as Israel, around the 12th century BC.

The name Boaz first appears in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the Book of Ruth. Boaz was a wealthy landowner from Bethlehem who showed kindness to Ruth, a Moabite woman who had come to live in Israel after the death of her husband. He eventually married her, and their union led to the lineage of King David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Boaz was Boaz the Bethlehemite, who lived during the period of the Judges, around the 11th century BC. He was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem and played a significant role in the biblical story of Ruth.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Boaz. One of the most famous was Boaz de' Benedetti (c. 1420–1500), an Italian Jewish scholar and author who contributed to the revival of Hebrew studies during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent individual with this name was Boaz Vaadia (1951–2021), an Israeli sculptor and artist known for his large-scale public installations and innovative use of various materials, including metal, stone, and glass.

In the 17th century, Boaz Behrens (1610–1689) was a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics.

During the 19th century, Boaz Bey (1813–1879) was an Ottoman statesman and reformer who played a crucial role in the modernization of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 20th century, Boaz Evron (1922–1995) was an Israeli diplomat and politician who served as the Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and played a crucial role in the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Boaz over time

The chart below shows babies named Boaz registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Boaz, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 24 births in 2024, compared with 26 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Boaz
07132026199920112024

Decades

Boaz by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Boaz was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #1158 119 5
2010s #1585 154 10
2000s #2587 50 9
1990s #2425 4 1

Geography

Where Boaz is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Boaz. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Boaz ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Boaz in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#704 in 2018

1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Boaz

  • Boaz Myhill

    association football coach; association football player

    association football player (born 1982)

    1982-

Related

Names similar to Boaz

FAQ

Boaz: questions and answers

How popular is the name Boaz in the UK right now?

In 2024, Boaz was ranked #1162 for boys in England and Wales, with 24 births registered.

When was Boaz most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 26 babies registered as Boaz in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Boaz?

A Hebrew masculine name meaning "strength" or "swiftness".

How many people are called Boaz in the UK?

A total of 327 babies have been registered as Boaz across the 25 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.

Where is Boaz most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Boaz ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #704 in 2018. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.