The Boyce surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 26,376 people carried this name — #1,337 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,200 people counted. That is up 1% from 26,229 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Boyce surname
An English habitational surname from Old French for someone living near the woods.
From Old French bois (“wood”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Boyce» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 40 births for the Boyce name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Donegal, Down, and Londonderry.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 25 people named Boyce.
Most of them — 21 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Sarthe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Boyce was found among the farmers of 3 counties.
It was most frequent in Worcestershire: 14 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 714. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.
Where it concentrates, on the mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.
In Scotland’s registers today
Boyce was recorded 34 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 731st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 52. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.
National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the first U.S. census, 1790
156 families named Boyce, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 902 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.
Families, by state
U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 230 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.
In print
Boyce in American newspapers,
1898–1912.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.
In print
Boyce in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.
71,017 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Boyce. The most, 19,930, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Boyce.
Who carried it
People named Boyce,
with a public archive behind them.
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William Boyce 1711–1779 · composer -
Henry Boyce 1797–1873 · judge -
Samuel Boyce d. 1775 · poet
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Anna Boyce d. 1825
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Jane Boyce d. 1897
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Kathleen May Boyce d. 1969
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Boyce,
in the records of 7 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States3,717 records
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 943
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 943
- Other U.S. records 1,831
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record McDonald E. BoyceBorn 1946; from Baltimore, Maryland. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. Buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record George A. BoyceBorn 1904 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; gardener from Westchester County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Annie BoyceArrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow, aged 21; servant. From Donegal, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 3,717 records for Boyce in the United States.
Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia1,189 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 533
- Queensland State Archives indexes 261
- Other Australian records 395
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Rose BoyceTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Phoebe, sailing from Dublin in 1844. Native of Derry. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 18.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Edward Stephen BoyceArrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the New Orleans, aged 22; English.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: roll of the war dead War record Bertram A. BoyceEnlisted in 1915 with the 5th Battalion; killed in action. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.
City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)
Showing 3 of 1,189 records for Boyce in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).
Canada324 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 190
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial 42
- Other Canadian records 92
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Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Chas BoyceCame to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Collingwood, Ontario; English.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Olwen Margaret BoyceBuried in 1991 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Thomas Raphael BoyceDied 1941 in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
Showing 3 of 324 records for Boyce in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
New Zealand77 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 34
- Marlborough District cemetery records 34
- Other New Zealand records 9
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record David John BoyceDied 1949, aged 68; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Vera BoyceDied 1960, aged 47; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Trevor Rhodes BoyceDied 1983, aged 74; buried at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 77 records for Boyce in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).
United Kingdom54 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 37
- St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 11
- Other British records 6
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record James BoyceBuried in 1966 at Strathblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 80.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Thomas BoyceBuried in 1826 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 83.
MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record Ernest A. BoyceDied 1918. Named in the roll of honour (1926).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
Showing 3 of 54 records for Boyce in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).
France9 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Jeanne BoyceBorn 1918 in the United States; died 1998 in Salon-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Milton Marie BoyceBorn 1942 in Morocco; died 1995 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 9 records for Boyce in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Netherlands2 records
- Dutch population registers 1
- Dutch church registers before 1811 1
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Example: civil register, 1880 Civil record William BoyceBaptised in 1739 in Rotterdam.
Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 1 of 2 records for Boyce in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Boyce.
- Box 10,098 · U.S. census
- Boxberger 386 · U.S. census
- Boy 949 · U.S. census
- Boya 163 · U.S. census
- Boyadjian 575 · U.S. census
- Boyance 190 · U.S. census
- Boyd 153,469 · U.S. census
- Boye 1,008 · U.S. census
- Boyer 50,742 · U.S. census
- Boyet 253 · U.S. census
- Boyette 5,032 · U.S. census
- Boykin 17,255 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Boyce is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.