NameCensus.

UK surname

Boniface

A surname derived from the Latin words "bonus" (good) and "facio" (to make), meaning "good or benevolent maker".

In the 1881 census there were 1,066 people recorded with the Boniface surname, ranking it #3,708 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,489, ranked #4,151, down from #3,708 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst, London parishes and Stedham, Iping, Trotton, Chithurst. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wealden, Eastbourne and Rochford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boniface is 1,571 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.7%.

1881 census count

1,066

Ranked #3,708

Modern count

1,489

2016, ranked #4,151

Peak year

1999

1,571 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boniface had 1,066 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,708 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,489 in 2016, ranked #4,151.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,570 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boniface surname distribution map

The map shows where the Boniface surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Boniface surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Boniface over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 514 #4,864
1861 historical 560 #4,704
1881 historical 1,066 #3,708
1891 historical 1,143 #3,726
1901 historical 1,432 #3,551
1911 historical 1,570 #3,092
1997 modern 1,493 #3,920
1998 modern 1,565 #3,903
1999 modern 1,571 #3,926
2000 modern 1,545 #3,961
2001 modern 1,506 #3,971
2002 modern 1,530 #4,001
2003 modern 1,535 #3,917
2004 modern 1,497 #4,005
2005 modern 1,481 #4,003
2006 modern 1,452 #4,073
2007 modern 1,470 #4,074
2008 modern 1,480 #4,081
2009 modern 1,500 #4,120
2010 modern 1,524 #4,144
2011 modern 1,521 #4,107
2012 modern 1,482 #4,133
2013 modern 1,522 #4,107
2014 modern 1,524 #4,127
2015 modern 1,513 #4,106
2016 modern 1,489 #4,151

Geography

Back to top

Where Bonifaces are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst, London parishes, Stedham, Iping, Trotton, Chithurst and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wealden, Eastbourne and Rochford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst Sussex
2 London parishes London 3
3 Stedham, Iping, Trotton, Chithurst Sussex
4 Brighton Sussex
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wealden 019 Wealden
2 Eastbourne 007 Eastbourne
3 Wealden 009 Wealden
4 Eastbourne 009 Eastbourne
5 Rochford 010 Rochford

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Boniface

These lists show first names that appear often with the Boniface surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Boniface

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Boniface, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Boniface surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Boniface household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Boniface is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boniface is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Boniface falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Boniface is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Boniface, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Boniface

The surname Boniface has its roots in the Late Latin name Bonifatius, derived from the words "bonus" meaning good and "fatus" meaning destiny or fate. This name was originally borne by a 3rd-century Roman saint, later known as St. Boniface. The surname itself emerged in medieval England and France, often as a baptismal name given to children in honor of the saint.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Boniface can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. The entries include individuals such as William Boniface, who held lands in Hertfordshire, and Reginald Boniface, a landowner in Somerset.

In the 12th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Bonefaz, Bonefacius, and Bonifas, reflecting the spelling variations common in that era. One notable bearer was Peter Boniface, a monk and chronicler at the Benedictine abbey in Ely, Cambridgeshire, who wrote a historical account of the abbey's foundation in the late 12th century.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname spread across Europe, with records showing Boniface families in areas such as Normandy, Brittany, and the Low Countries. In Italy, the surname was often rendered as Bonifacio or Bonifazi, and was borne by several notable individuals, including the Bonifacio family, who were prominent merchants and bankers in Florence during the Renaissance.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname was the 13th-century Pope Boniface VIII, whose birth name was Benedetto Caetani (1235-1303). He was a controversial figure known for his conflicts with King Philip IV of France and his promulgation of the papal bull Unam Sanctam, which asserted the supremacy of the papacy over secular rulers.

Other notable individuals with the surname include the English historian and antiquarian Thomas Boniface (1587-1656), who wrote extensively on the history of Dorset, and the French botanist and explorer Jean Baptiste Boniface (1746-1828), who explored parts of the Middle East and North Africa.

In the 19th century, the surname was borne by several prominent figures, including the French sculptor François Boniface (1786-1854), known for his public monuments and sculptures in Paris, and the American politician and politician Daniel Everett Boniface (1831-1902), who served as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arizona Territory.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Boniface families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boniface surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Sussex leads with 702 Bonifaces recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.49x.

County Total Index
Sussex 702 39.49x
Middlesex 112 1.06x
Surrey 107 2.08x
Kent 56 1.56x
Hampshire 45 2.08x
Essex 13 0.62x
Channel Islands 9 2.88x
Cheshire 8 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.05x
Lancashire 6 0.05x
Royal Navy 6 4.77x
Oxfordshire 2 0.31x
Warwickshire 2 0.08x
Wiltshire 2 0.21x
Bedfordshire 1 0.18x
Berkshire 1 0.13x
Devon 1 0.05x
Morayshire 1 0.61x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eastbourne in Sussex leads with 77 Bonifaces recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.12x.

Place Total Index
Eastbourne 77 94.12x
Brighton 66 18.40x
Hailsham 43 399.63x
Lower Beeding 38 805.08x
Chithurst 28 2314.05x
Nuthurst 23 782.31x
Hove 21 26.92x
Cuckfield 20 111.36x
Felpham 20 980.39x
Paddington London 19 4.90x
St Marylebone London 18 3.20x
Woolwich 18 13.54x
Horsham 17 49.22x
Hurstpierpoint 17 171.89x
St Luke London 17 10.05x
Henfield 16 234.26x
Pevensey 16 1212.12x
Preston 15 48.31x
South Bersted 15 99.21x
Hellingly 14 235.29x
Hastings St Mary In The 13 34.27x
Liss 13 296.13x
Pagham 12 382.17x
Epsom 10 39.94x
Kensington London 10 1.71x
Cranleigh 9 119.68x
Godalming 9 27.82x
Southwick 9 95.74x
St Brelade 9 111.94x
Woking 9 29.06x
Albourne 8 727.27x
Battersea 8 2.06x
Bolney 8 276.82x
Ford 8 2222.22x
Harting 8 173.16x
Iping 8 421.05x
Littlehampton 8 56.38x
Plumstead 8 6.67x
Shoreditch London 8 1.75x
Slaugham 8 139.13x
Trotton 8 544.22x
West Chiltington 8 346.32x
Arlington 7 330.19x
Hackney London 7 1.18x
Lambeth 7 0.76x
Maidstone 7 6.53x
Seaford 7 115.70x
Thorney 7 94.34x
West Grinstead 7 130.60x
West Ham 7 1.52x
Westminster St John 7 5.45x
Willesden 7 7.04x
Angmering 6 168.54x
Bromborough 6 124.22x
Deptford St Paul 6 2.16x
Hollington 6 94.79x
Mitcham 6 18.47x
Piddinghoe 6 740.74x
Royal Navy 6 5.59x
St Maurice Winchester 6 66.82x
Westbourne 6 67.80x
Arundel 5 50.20x
Barcombe 5 117.10x
Bramley 5 110.38x
Clapham 5 581.40x
Manchester 5 0.89x
Nutfield 5 128.87x
Petersfield 5 84.03x
Portsea 5 1.18x
Rogate 5 140.45x
Rotherfield 5 31.95x
Rustington 5 384.62x
Southampton All Sts 5 13.48x
St Pancras London 5 0.59x
Street 5 757.58x
Sutton 5 13.45x
Tonbridge 5 3.85x
Walthamstow 5 6.67x
Westham 5 138.12x
Reigate Borough 4 33.76x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Boniface surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 63
Sarah 29
Elizabeth 26
Alice 21
Annie 21
Jane 21
Emma 20
Ellen 16
Caroline 15
Fanny 15
Ann 14
Eliza 14
Emily 14
Edith 12
Harriett 12
Kate 12
Harriet 10
Louisa 10
Frances 9
Lucy 8
Rose 8
Charlotte 7
Martha 7
Agnes 6
Clara 6
Laura 5
Amy 4
Elizth. 4
Esther 4
Hannah 4
Helen 4
Maria 4
Matilda 4
Naomi 4
Ruth 4
Ada 3
Anne 3
Florence 3
Grace 3
Margaret 3
Minnie 3
Susanna 3
Blanch 2
Ethel 2
Flora 2
Kitty 2
Louise 2
Mabel 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Boniface surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 64
George 53
James 36
John 35
Thomas 31
Charles 28
Henry 26
Alfred 20
Walter 16
Arthur 13
Albert 11
Benjamin 11
Edward 11
Ernest 9
Frederick 9
Harry 9
Edwin 7
Richard 7
Frank 6
Joseph 6
Robert 6
Mark 5
Andrew 4
Philip 4
Stephen 4
Wm. 4
David 3
Edmund 3
Eli 3
Fredrick 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Jesse 3
Willm. 3
Adolphus 2
Alexander 2
Amos 2
Edmond 2
Fred 2
Heny. 2
Jas. 2
Jessie 2
Joshua 2
Luke 2
Phillip 2
Sidney 2
Stphn. 2
Thos. 2
Francis 1
Jacob 1

FAQ

Boniface surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boniface surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,066 people were recorded with the Boniface surname. That placed it at #3,708 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boniface surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,489 in 2016. That gives Boniface a modern rank of #4,151.

What does the Boniface surname mean?

A surname derived from the Latin words "bonus" (good) and "facio" (to make), meaning "good or benevolent maker".

What does the Boniface map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Boniface bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.