Explore the Family Name Boyer
The meaning of Boyer
1. French: regional variant of Bouvier ‘herdsman’. This surname is also found in Haiti. Compare Bouyea and Boyea. 2. Altered form of German Bayer or Beyer. 3. German: habitational name for someone from Boye (near Celle-Hanover). 4. English: variant of Bowyer. 5. Danish: habitational name from a place so named. This surname is also found in Norway, probably from the same source. 6. Americanized form of Norwegian Bøye or Bøje (see Boye). 7. Swedish: probably of German origin (see above). History: This surname (see 1 above) is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Boyer in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Boyer has shown changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it held a rank of 622 which fell to 676 in 2010, a decrease of 8.68 percent. However, the actual count of individuals with the surname Boyer grew slightly from 49,601 to 50,742, an increase of 2.3 percent. Its proportion per 100,000 also dropped by 6.47 percent from 18.39 in 2000 to 17.2 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #622 | #676 | -8.68% |
| Count | 49,601 | 50,742 | 2.3% |
| Proportion per 100k | 18.39 | 17.2 | -6.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Boyer
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Boyer, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals significant shifts over the same period. The percentage identifying as White decreased slightly from 90.58 percent in 2000 to 88.78 percent in 2010. Conversely, those identifying as Hispanic saw a rise from 1.95 percent to 2.68 percent, an increase of 37.44 percent. People with the Boyer surname who identified as Black also increased by 10.55 percent from 4.93 percent to 5.45 percent. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races also increased by 19.23 percent and 32.86 percent respectively. The percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained unchanged at 0.61 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.58% | 88.78% | -1.99% |
| Black | 4.93% | 5.45% | 10.55% |
| Hispanic | 1.95% | 2.68% | 37.44% |
| Two or More Races | 1.4% | 1.86% | 32.86% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.52% | 0.62% | 19.23% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.61% | 0.61% | 0% |
Boyer 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 Boyer is British & Irish, which comprises 41.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (33.9%) and Eastern European (4.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 41.6% |
| French & German | 33.9% |
| Eastern European | 4.9% |
| Other | 19.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Boyer
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 Boyer have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 80.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 80.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 80.10% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 80.00% |
What Boyer 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 Boyer is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-V13 and R-Z30, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Winkler, Dietrich, Weber, Ott, Frey, Mayer, Walter, Rossi, Bauer, Keller.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Boyer surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Boyer 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.
"Boyer" Surname 44.9%
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.
"Boyer" Surname 29.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Boyer" Surname 22.1%
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.
"Boyer" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Boyer?
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 Boyer are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition