NameCensus.

UK surname

Boyack

A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "on the bank".

In the 1881 census there were 134 people recorded with the Boyack surname, ranking it #16,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #16,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Gateshead and Mains and Strathmartine. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Linlathen and Midcraigie, Glenrothes Pitteuchar and Fintry.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boyack is 162 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 7.5%.

1881 census count

134

Ranked #16,602

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

1891

162 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boyack had 134 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Boyack surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boyack surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boyack 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 102 #20,797
1881 historical 134 #16,602
1891 historical 162 #17,390
1901 historical 161 #17,324
1911 historical 46 #28,224
1997 modern 146 #21,494
1998 modern 140 #22,615
1999 modern 143 #22,521
2000 modern 136 #23,155
2001 modern 134 #23,037
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 126 #24,146
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 129 #23,963
2006 modern 134 #23,590
2007 modern 136 #23,708
2008 modern 139 #23,635
2009 modern 142 #23,791
2010 modern 145 #24,031
2011 modern 132 #25,303
2012 modern 141 #24,258
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 140 #24,836
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Boyacks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Gateshead, Mains and Strathmartine, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Linlathen and Midcraigie, Glenrothes Pitteuchar, Fintry, Whitfield and Paisley North East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Mains and Strathmartine Forfar
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Linlathen and Midcraigie Dundee City
2 Glenrothes Pitteuchar Fife
3 Fintry Dundee City
4 Whitfield Dundee City
5 Paisley North East Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boyack

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boyack

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Boyack, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Boyack surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Boyack household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Boyack is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boyack 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

Boyack falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Boyack is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Boyack

The surname Boyack is believed to have originated in Scotland, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Boyce or Boise, which is derived from the Old French word "bois," meaning "wood" or "forest."

One of the earliest known references to the name Boyack can be found in the Scottish parish records from the late 17th century. The name is thought to have been concentrated in the regions of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire, where it was likely associated with families who lived near or worked in forested areas.

In the 18th century, there are records of a Samuel Boyack, born in 1702 in Lanarkshire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner. Another notable figure from this time period was William Boyack, born in 1745 in Ayrshire, who served as a soldier in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

As the name spread throughout Scotland and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Boyack, Boyack, Boyak, and Boyick. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Boyack spelling can be found in the baptismal records of the Parish of Muirkirk in Ayrshire, where a child named John Boyack was christened in 1785.

In the 19th century, the Boyack surname continued to be found in Scotland, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Alexander Boyack, born in 1812 in Lanarkshire, who was a renowned architect and civil engineer responsible for the design of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects in Glasgow.

Another prominent figure from this era was James Boyack, born in 1845 in Ayrshire, who was a celebrated poet and writer. His collection of poems, titled "Songs of the Scottish Lowlands," was widely acclaimed and helped to preserve the rich literary heritage of his ancestral homeland.

While the Boyack surname has its roots firmly planted in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. Despite this geographical dispersion, the name remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of its Scottish origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Boyack families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boyack 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. Angus leads with 67 Boyacks recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.33x.

County Total Index
Angus 67 55.33x
Durham 21 5.40x
Midlothian 21 11.99x
Perthshire 6 10.23x
Fife 5 6.46x
Lanarkshire 5 1.18x
Aberdeenshire 3 2.48x
Ayrshire 3 3.07x
Dorset 1 1.17x
Roxburghshire 1 4.22x
Surrey 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 34 Boyacks recorded in 1881 and an index of 75.22x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 34 75.22x
Liff Benvie 17 92.49x
Bishopwearmouth 10 29.96x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 14.20x
Monifieth 8 186.92x
South Shields 7 202.31x
Duddingston 5 142.45x
Govan 5 4.78x
Rattray 5 364.96x
Strathmartine 5 925.93x
Kinghorn 4 243.90x
South Leith 4 20.30x
Westoe 4 18.15x
Aberdeen Old Machar 3 11.87x
Kilwinning 3 94.94x
Abroath St Vigeans 2 400.00x
Blairgowrie 1 43.10x
Corstorphine 1 103.09x
Egham 1 25.58x
Kirriemuir 1 33.44x
Melrose 1 48.78x
North Leith 1 12.35x
Portland 1 21.69x
St Andrews 1 28.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Cecelia 1
Deborah 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizabeth 1
Florenc 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Lavinia 1
Ophelia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 3
Anthony 1
Camille 1
Charles 1
Columbia 1
James 1
Jno. 1
Lawrence 1
Robert 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Boyack households.

FAQ

Boyack surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boyack surname in 1881?

In 1881, 134 people were recorded with the Boyack surname. That placed it at #16,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boyack surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Boyack a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Boyack surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "on the bank".

What does the Boyack map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Boyack 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.