Explore the Family Name Boe
The meaning of Boe
1. Norwegian (Bøe): topographic name from an early variant of Old Norse býr ‘farm’. In North America, this surname is also an altered form of the variant Bø (see Bo). 2. Danish: from Bo, a derivative of the Nordic personal name Bui ‘settled, farmer’ (Old Norse u is pronounced o), derived from bu ‘to live in a place’. 3. Swedish (Böe): of Norwegian origin (see 1 above). 4. Dutch and North German: shortened form of Bode, originally pronounced as two syllables. 5. Scottish: from a much shortened Scots form of Bullock, perhaps influenced by Gaelic bò ‘cow’. 6. English: variant of Bow 1. 7. Irish: possibly from Ó Buadhaigh ‘descendant of the victorious one’, see Bogue and Bow 2. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik, Alf, Bertel, Carsten, Egil, Gunvor, Holger, Iver, Knud, Knute, Nels, Nils.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Boe in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Boe has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Boe was ranked 7782nd in popularity with approximately 3937 individuals bearing this name. By 2010, however, the rank had dropped to 8556th and the count decreased slightly to 3850. This represents a change of -9.95 in ranking and a -2.21 change in the total count. The proportion of people named Boe per 100k also declined by 10.27 during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,782 | #8,556 | -9.95% |
| Count | 3,937 | 3,850 | -2.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.46 | 1.31 | -10.27% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Boe
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows interesting shifts among those with the surname Boe. The largest percentage identified as White, increasing slightly from 90.45% in 2000 to 92.00% in 2010. The representation of Hispanic people also saw an increase of 19.66%. However, the proportion of Black individuals with this surname dropped significantly, from 2.74% to 1.58%. The portion of Asian/Pacific Islander individuals and those reporting two or more races also fell, decreasing by 19.21% and 19.44% respectively. Interestingly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native population remained stable at 1.19%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.45% | 92% | 1.71% |
| Hispanic | 1.78% | 2.13% | 19.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.03% | 1.64% | -19.21% |
| Black | 2.74% | 1.58% | -42.34% |
| Two or More Races | 1.8% | 1.45% | -19.44% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.19% | 1.19% | 0% |
Boe ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Boe is Scandinavian, which comprises 36.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (28.5%) and French & German (18.3%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Scandinavian | 36.2% |
| British & Irish | 28.5% |
| French & German | 18.3% |
| Other | 17.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Boe
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Boe have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Norway.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 62.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 62.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 62.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 62.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 62.30% |
What Boe haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Boe is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-L22 and R-Z287, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Halvorson, Iversen, Johnsen, Knudson, Moen, Thorson, Ellingson, Johansson, Arneson, Hagen.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Boe surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Boe have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Boe" Surname 33.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Boe" Surname 31.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Boe" Surname 30.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Boe" Surname 20.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Boe?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Boe are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition