NameCensus.

UK surname

Boyce

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wooded area."

In the 1881 census there were 4,470 people recorded with the Boyce surname, ranking it #1,001 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,370, ranked #910, up from #1,001 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doon Valley North, Easterhouse East and Machars South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boyce is 7,544 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.9%.

1881 census count

4,470

Ranked #1,001

Modern count

7,370

2016, ranked #910

Peak year

2010

7,544 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boyce had 4,470 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,001 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,370 in 2016, ranked #910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,702 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boyce surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boyce surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boyce 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 2,737 #1,075
1861 historical 2,285 #1,288
1881 historical 4,470 #1,001
1891 historical 4,704 #989
1901 historical 5,702 #977
1911 historical 5,315 #984
1997 modern 7,139 #909
1998 modern 7,427 #909
1999 modern 7,466 #912
2000 modern 7,424 #909
2001 modern 7,238 #910
2002 modern 7,350 #915
2003 modern 7,245 #910
2004 modern 7,231 #910
2005 modern 7,181 #898
2006 modern 7,138 #910
2007 modern 7,221 #906
2008 modern 7,222 #912
2009 modern 7,411 #910
2010 modern 7,544 #911
2011 modern 7,384 #917
2012 modern 7,204 #917
2013 modern 7,309 #919
2014 modern 7,381 #916
2015 modern 7,367 #911
2016 modern 7,370 #910

Geography

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Where Boyces are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Doon Valley North, Easterhouse East, Machars South, Johnstone North West and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doon Valley North East Ayrshire
2 Easterhouse East Glasgow City
3 Machars South Dumfries and Galloway
4 Johnstone North West Renfrewshire
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 016 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boyce

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boyce

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Boyce, 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 Boyce surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Boyce 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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Boyce is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Boyce is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Boyce falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Boyce 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 Boyce, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Boyce

The surname Boyce has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word "bois," meaning "woods" or "forest." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bois" and "Boys." These entries suggest that the name had already become established in England by the late 11th century, possibly introduced by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name took on various spellings, including "Boyce," "Boyes," and "Boyse," reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. These spellings were often interchangeable, and it was not until the 16th century that the modern spelling "Boyce" became more standardized.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Boyce, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1347. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Boyce, a military commander who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name Boyce was associated with several prominent individuals, including Sir Roger Boyce, a member of the English gentry, and Robert Boyce, a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Boyce gained further recognition through individuals such as Benjamin Boyce (1659-1718), an English theologian and author, and William Boyce (1711-1779), a renowned English composer and organist.

Into the 19th century, notable bearers of the name included Rugeley George Boyce (1793-1866), an English architect, and James Boyce (1815-1899), an Australian botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of Tasmanian flora.

Throughout its history, the surname Boyce has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, military figures, and explorers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name of French origin.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Boyce families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boyce 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. Middlesex leads with 711 Boyces recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.63x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 711 1.63x
Surrey 426 2.00x
Norfolk 296 4.40x
Hampshire 285 3.18x
Kent 222 1.49x
Somerset 211 3.00x
Suffolk 199 3.74x
Yorkshire 192 0.44x
Lanarkshire 188 1.33x
Lancashire 179 0.34x
Warwickshire 153 1.39x
Gloucestershire 141 1.64x
Devon 97 1.07x
Cambridgeshire 87 3.14x
Lincolnshire 87 1.24x
Essex 77 0.89x
Durham 72 0.55x
Midlothian 68 1.16x
Renfrewshire 59 1.74x
Berkshire 58 1.77x
Staffordshire 53 0.36x
Bedfordshire 46 2.03x
Sussex 44 0.60x
Worcestershire 43 0.75x
Glamorgan 42 0.55x
Northamptonshire 41 1.00x
Oxfordshire 40 1.48x
Ayrshire 38 1.16x
Nottinghamshire 38 0.64x
Hertfordshire 31 1.03x
Monmouthshire 29 0.92x
Wiltshire 23 0.59x
Dunbartonshire 18 1.53x
Derbyshire 16 0.23x
Northumberland 16 0.25x
West Lothian 16 2.43x
Cheshire 14 0.15x
Leicestershire 14 0.29x
Argyllshire 11 0.90x
Channel Islands 10 0.77x
Angus 8 0.20x
Cumberland 8 0.21x
Wigtownshire 8 1.38x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.26x
Dorset 7 0.24x
Stirlingshire 6 0.37x
Cardiganshire 5 0.47x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.58x
Selkirkshire 5 1.26x
Fife 4 0.15x
Isle of Man 4 0.49x
Royal Navy 4 0.77x
Shropshire 4 0.11x
Cornwall 3 0.06x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.31x
Herefordshire 3 0.17x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.14x
Berwickshire 1 0.19x
Denbighshire 1 0.06x
Morayshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 108 Boyces recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.83x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 108 2.83x
Govan 77 2.20x
Islington London 71 1.68x
St Pancras London 61 1.73x
Portsea 58 3.30x
Kensington London 55 2.26x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 52 2.21x
Eling 51 56.17x
Bethnal Green London 49 2.58x
Great Yarmouth 49 8.80x
Mile End Old Town London 40 4.30x
Hackney London 37 1.51x
Shoreditch London 37 1.95x
Camberwell 36 1.29x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 35 61.74x
Birmingham 33 0.90x
Clewer 33 24.54x
Barony 32 0.89x
Bermondsey 32 2.46x
Chelsea London 31 2.35x
Liverpool 29 0.92x
Glasgow 28 1.11x
Millbrook 28 12.40x
Cheltenham 27 4.08x
Everton 26 1.57x
Paddington London 26 1.62x
Newington 25 1.55x
Bromley London 24 2.49x
Southwark St George Martyr 24 2.73x
St Marylebone London 23 0.99x
West Ham 23 1.21x
Bedminster 21 3.17x
Wandsworth 21 4.99x
Westoe 21 2.85x
Lowestoft 20 7.95x
Aston 19 0.63x
Battersea 19 1.18x
Dalry 19 12.34x
Kempston 19 36.97x
Blundeston 18 168.38x
Ryde 18 9.35x
St George Hanover Square 18 2.34x
Tonbridge 18 3.34x
Bridgewater 17 8.90x
Charlton 17 17.15x
Clifton 17 3.92x
Peterborough 17 5.71x
Toxteth Park 17 0.97x
Whittlesey St Mary St 17 17.57x
Lewisham 16 2.01x
Nottingham St Mary 16 1.05x
Plymouth St Andrew 16 2.28x
Ratcliffe London 16 6.63x
Windlesham 16 39.93x
Brighton 15 1.01x
Clapham 15 2.74x
East Ardsley 15 39.97x
East Dereham 15 17.66x
East Greenock 15 4.69x
Morley 15 6.66x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 14 1.73x
Burgate 14 325.58x
Evercreech 14 82.55x
Rotherhithe 14 2.59x
Sculcoates 14 2.04x
Welney 14 91.09x
Alcester 13 35.73x
Bury St Edmunds St James 13 9.14x
Chipping Barnet 13 24.66x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.13x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 13 6.44x
Newenden 13 570.18x
Romsey Extra 13 24.39x
Thrandeston 13 308.06x
Walcot 13 3.47x
Fulham London 12 1.89x
Great Grimsby 12 2.70x
Maidstone 12 2.70x
Southampton St Mary 12 2.13x
Thetford St Cuthbert 12 49.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 247
Sarah 137
Elizabeth 136
Alice 73
Eliza 72
Jane 71
Ann 68
Ellen 65
Emily 56
Emma 56
Annie 46
Louisa 45
Caroline 44
Edith 40
Florence 39
Catherine 34
Margaret 32
Charlotte 30
Kate 29
Maria 29
Hannah 28
Martha 24
Ada 23
Agnes 23
Harriet 23
Lucy 23
Susan 23
Frances 22
Harriett 19
Fanny 18
Anne 17
Amy 14
Susannah 13
Amelia 12
Clara 12
Rose 12
Isabella 11
Rebecca 11
Elizth. 10
Gertrude 10
Julia 10
Laura 10
Matilda 10
Bertha 9
Esther 9
Ethel 9
Jessie 9
Rosa 8
Phoebe 7
Sophia 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 276
John 171
George 160
James 140
Thomas 124
Charles 91
Henry 85
Joseph 57
Robert 56
Arthur 54
Alfred 47
Albert 40
Edward 40
Frederick 38
Walter 38
Samuel 27
Richard 24
Frank 21
Harry 21
Ernest 19
Herbert 19
Francis 13
Edwin 9
Chas. 8
David 8
Fredrick 8
Benjamin 7
Fredk. 7
Geo. 7
Isaac 7
Wm. 7
Daniel 6
Fred 6
Willm. 6
Edmund 5
Harold 5
Michael 5
Patrick 5
Horace 4
Percy 4
Peter 4
Philip 4
Reginald 4
Sydney 4
Thos. 4
Tom 4
Bertie 3
Jonathan 3
Robt. 3
Stanley 3

FAQ

Boyce surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boyce surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,470 people were recorded with the Boyce surname. That placed it at #1,001 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boyce surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,370 in 2016. That gives Boyce a modern rank of #910.

What does the Boyce surname mean?

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wooded area."

What does the Boyce map show?

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