BOICE
Boice is a surname of multiple, documented origins, indicating a complex lineage that reflects the linguistic and cultural interactions characteristic of the British Isles and continental Europe. The name is recorded in early English and Norman sources, and it has been noted by historians and genealogists in varying forms such as Boys, Boyse, Boyce, Boyson, Bois, Boise and others.
Earliest surviving references to the surname appear in the late‑eleventh and early‑twentieth centuries. The first known spelling, del Bois, is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1201, during the reign of King John. Subsequent medieval records include Thomas Boys in the subsidy rolls of Sussex in 1296 and Robert du Boys in the subsidy rolls of Suffolk in 1327. A 1573 baptismal entry lists Judith Boyes, daughter of Peter Boyes, at St. Ann's Blackfriars, London. The nineteenth‑century scholar John Frederick Boyes (1811–1879) is another noted bearer of the name in classical and English literary circles.
The predominant etymological explanation links Boice to the Old French word bois, meaning “wood” or “forest.” This derivation is thought to have entered England with the Normans following the conquest of 1066. As a topographical name, it would have referred to an individual dwelling near or working in a wooded area. Occupational references are also recorded, with the name sometimes being associated with a person who dealt with timber or forest management.
Alternative origins documented in the literature are also considered credible. One hypothesis is that the surname derives from the Middle English term boy, implying a lad or young servant, thereby functioning as a patronymic occupational marker. Another possibility is a derivation from an Old English or pre‑seventeenth‑century Welsh personal name Boia. In Ireland, a separate lineage is identified that associates the surname with the Gaelic prefix O’ meaning “grandson or descendant of”, paired with the personal name Buaidheigh, itself meaning “victorious.” A distinct Scottish origin has been noted, suggesting derivation from the Old Norse bóth, meaning a dwelling or rural house, which later evolved into the same set of spellings.
During the twelve‑hundredth century, the surname spread into Ireland as a result of the Anglo‑Norman invasion. From the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries, many bearers of the name migrated to North America, with colonies in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania recording significant settlement. These movements were largely driven by economic opportunities and, in some cases, by political unrest in the British Isles.
In contemporary times, the distribution of the surname is predominantly observed in the United States, Canada and Australia, with secondary concentrations in the United Kingdom and other English‑speaking countries. Genealogical studies confirm that while many families share the same spelling, linguistic and geographic evidence indicates that they are not necessarily related without further documentary or genetic corroboration.
Variants of the surname reported in historic and modern records, such as Bois, Boise, Boyes, Boas and Boicey, illustrate the phonetic evolution of the name across different dialects and regions. The persistence of the spelling Boice in many family lines attests to its established use, while the existence of as many as twelve different documented forms reflects the broader pattern of surname fluidity observed in medieval and early modern Europe.
Typical given names associated with the Boice surname
Male
Female
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Boice in...
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There are approximately 27 people named Boice in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Fewer than one in a million people in Britain are named Boice.
