NameCensus.

UK surname

Boys

A surname of English or Scottish origin, possibly occupational for a male servant.

In the 1881 census there were 1,183 people recorded with the Boys surname, ranking it #3,404 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 701, ranked #7,697, down from #3,404 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wealden, Sunderland and The Vale of Glamorgan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boys is 1,361 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.7%.

1881 census count

1,183

Ranked #3,404

Modern count

701

2016, ranked #7,697

Peak year

1851

1,361 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boys had 1,183 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,404 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 701 in 2016, ranked #7,697.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,361 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boys surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boys surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boys 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 1,361 #2,112
1861 historical 1,121 #2,502
1881 historical 1,183 #3,404
1891 historical 1,118 #3,801
1901 historical 1,142 #4,255
1911 historical 1,149 #4,066
1997 modern 844 #6,279
1998 modern 840 #6,497
1999 modern 842 #6,534
2000 modern 839 #6,522
2001 modern 807 #6,606
2002 modern 828 #6,593
2003 modern 802 #6,641
2004 modern 750 #7,015
2005 modern 745 #7,002
2006 modern 730 #7,132
2007 modern 743 #7,107
2008 modern 708 #7,416
2009 modern 720 #7,470
2010 modern 758 #7,320
2011 modern 755 #7,266
2012 modern 726 #7,415
2013 modern 735 #7,460
2014 modern 738 #7,476
2015 modern 726 #7,518
2016 modern 701 #7,697

Geography

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Where Boys' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, London parishes, Portsmouth, Portsea 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, Sunderland, The Vale of Glamorgan, Burnley and Rossendale. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wealden 018 Wealden
2 Sunderland 012 Sunderland
3 The Vale of Glamorgan 006 Vale of Glamorgan
4 Burnley 001 Burnley
5 Rossendale 010 Rossendale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boys

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boys

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Boys is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boys is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Boys falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Boys

The surname "Boys" is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bois," which means "wood" or "forest." The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1212, where a person named Robert de Boys is mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates that the family originated from a specific location, potentially a place named Boys or Bois.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Boys, Boyes, and Bois. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and scribal interpretations. The name is also found in medieval records from counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where there were likely families residing in or near wooded areas.

A notable historical figure bearing this surname was John Boys, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic who lived from 1511 to 1598. He served as the Dean of Canterbury and was known for his scholarly works on biblical studies.

Another individual of note was Thomas Boys, a 17th-century English author and translator who lived from 1604 to 1673. He is best known for his English translation of the works of the French philosopher René Descartes.

In the 18th century, Edward Boys was a prominent English architect and surveyor who lived from 1714 to 1800. He designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.

The surname also has connections to place names, such as Boys Hall in Essex, which dates back to the 16th century and was once the residence of the Boys family.

William Boys, an English naturalist and writer, lived from 1735 to 1803 and made significant contributions to the study of natural history, particularly in the field of botany and geology.

While the surname "Boys" is not among the most common in English-speaking countries today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and includes individuals who have made notable contributions in various fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Boys families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boys 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 190 Boys' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.65x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 190 1.65x
Yorkshire 172 1.51x
Kent 121 3.09x
Lancashire 106 0.78x
Sussex 99 5.11x
Surrey 92 1.64x
Hampshire 78 3.31x
Durham 61 1.79x
Staffordshire 50 1.29x
Essex 33 1.46x
Northamptonshire 20 1.85x
Lincolnshire 17 0.93x
Dumfriesshire 12 4.73x
Cumberland 11 1.11x
Devon 11 0.46x
Glamorgan 10 0.50x
Dorset 9 1.19x
Somerset 9 0.49x
Cheshire 6 0.24x
Lanarkshire 6 0.16x
Ayrshire 5 0.58x
Leicestershire 5 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.32x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.58x
Gloucestershire 4 0.18x
Suffolk 4 0.29x
Worcestershire 4 0.27x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.41x
Hertfordshire 3 0.38x
Royal Navy 3 2.19x
Rutland 3 3.56x
Warwickshire 3 0.10x
West Lothian 3 1.74x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.19x
Bedfordshire 2 0.34x
Denbighshire 2 0.46x
Northumberland 2 0.12x
Oxfordshire 2 0.28x
Wigtownshire 2 1.31x
Midlothian 1 0.07x
Shropshire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 42 Boys' recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.98x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 42 20.98x
Pudsey 32 52.62x
Bethnal Green London 28 5.61x
Bishopwearmouth 28 9.55x
Brighton 25 6.40x
Hellingly 22 339.51x
Sunderland 21 34.81x
West Ham 19 3.80x
Hampstead London 18 10.07x
Camberwell 17 2.32x
Lambeth 16 1.60x
Habergham Eaves 15 12.05x
Streatham 15 17.61x
Westminster St James 15 12.71x
Alciston 14 1866.67x
Beswick 14 40.18x
Chelsea London 12 3.47x
Fareham 12 42.43x
Islington London 12 1.08x
St Pancras London 12 1.30x
Weedon Beck 12 155.04x
Alverstoke 11 12.91x
Battersea 11 2.60x
Deal 11 32.92x
Portsea 11 2.39x
Bexley 10 28.88x
Drighlington 10 60.35x
Kensington London 10 1.57x
Littlebourne 10 335.57x
Manningham 10 7.13x
Chatham 9 8.35x
Hackney London 9 1.40x
St George Hanover Square 9 4.45x
Swansea Town 9 5.49x
Blackburn 8 2.21x
Catherington 8 153.85x
Fordingbridge 8 62.50x
Guisbrough 8 32.18x
Musbury 8 200.50x
Salford 8 2.00x
Walsall Borough 8 26.60x
Alfriston 7 304.35x
Compton 7 614.04x
Deptford St Paul 7 2.32x
Holywood 7 165.09x
Kirkdale 7 3.05x
Lee 7 12.31x
North Bovey 7 404.62x
Bromley London 6 2.38x
Buriton 6 132.45x
Christchurch 6 11.76x
Cowesby 6 1578.95x
Fulham London 6 3.60x
Gillingham 6 7.43x
Godmersham 6 425.53x
Greysouthen 6 220.59x
Hessle In Sculcoates 6 59.70x
Normanby In 6 19.72x
Paddington London 6 1.42x
Rottingdean 6 90.77x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 2.60x
Stranton 6 5.22x
Thornhill 6 18.07x
Tong 6 27.30x
Almondbury 5 9.09x
Blandford Forum 5 33.62x
Bridgewater 5 9.97x
Brightside Bierlow 5 2.24x
Canterbury St Dunstan 5 73.96x
Dalry 5 12.37x
Dornock 5 155.76x
Idsworth 5 320.51x
Margate St John Baptist 5 6.97x
Minster In Sheppey 5 7.70x
Newton In Ashton Under 5 19.99x
Northowram 5 6.27x
Peterborough 5 6.39x
St Luke London 5 2.72x
St Marylebone London 5 0.82x
Titchfield 5 28.18x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 59
William 54
Thomas 44
Henry 42
George 39
James 23
Charles 20
Joseph 16
Alfred 15
Robert 15
Edward 14
Arthur 12
Frederick 12
Richard 11
Harry 8
David 7
Herbert 7
Samuel 7
Walter 6
Abraham 4
Albert 4
Ernest 4
Frank 4
Thos. 4
Edwin 3
Horace 3
Jno. 3
Nicholas 3
Percy 3
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Edgar 2
Elias 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Gardiner 2
Gilbert 2
Henery 2
Josiah 2
Leonard 2
Ralph 2
Reuben 2
Stephen 2
Thos 2
Wm.H. 2
Archibald 1
Chas. 1
Clement 1
Ephriam 1
Etherbert 1

FAQ

Boys surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boys surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,183 people were recorded with the Boys surname. That placed it at #3,404 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boys surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 701 in 2016. That gives Boys a modern rank of #7,697.

What does the Boys surname mean?

A surname of English or Scottish origin, possibly occupational for a male servant.

What does the Boys map show?

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