Contents [hide]

Boyer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Boyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxons of Britain first developed the name Boyer. It was a name given to someone who was a maker or trader of bows. A Bowyer's Company still exists in London. 1

Some sources claim that the name was derived from the French name Bouvier as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Hugo Bouvier and John Bouvier were of Normandy, 1180-95. 2

Early Origins of the Boyer family

The surname Boyer was first found in Buckinghamshire but other branches of the family were also found in Berkshire, Staffordshire and Sussex. Buckinghamshire was the home to two baronetcies: Denham Court and in the twentieth century, Weston Underwood.

One of the first records of the family in Britain was William Bowyer who was listed in Sussex the the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same source lists William le Boghyere, but no county. 3

Early History of the Boyer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boyer research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1558, 1588, 1612, 1613, 1614, 1623, 1641, 1642, 1644, 1649, 1653, 1659, 1660, 1666, 1679, 1681, 1691, 1699, 1761, 1767 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Boyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Boyer have been found, including Bowyer, Bowyers, Bowyere, Bowyear and others.

Early Notables of the Boyer family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir William Bowyer, Lord Mayor of London; Sir William Bowyer (c 1588-1641), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1641; Sir Edmund Bowyer (1613-1681), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679; and Sir John Bowyer, 1st Baronet (1623-1666) English soldier and politician. Sir William Bowyer, 1st Baronet (1612-1679), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1679...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boyer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyer World Ranking

In the United States, the name Boyer is the 671^st most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Boyer is ranked the 463^rd most popular surname with an estimated 10,319 people with that name. 5 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Boyer is the 295^th popular surname. 6 France ranks Boyer as 55^th with 39,907 people. 7

Migration of the Boyer family to Ireland

Some of the Boyer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyer migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Boyer, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were:

Boyer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Boyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1628 8
Tho Boyer, who landed in Virginia in 1635 8
William Boyer, who landed in Virginia in 1636 8
Alex Boyer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1648 8
Stephen Boyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Boyer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1710 8
Marc Boyer, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 8
Marie Boyer, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 8
Jean Boyer, aged 25, who arrived in Louisiana in 1720 8
James Boyer, who arrived in New England in 1723 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G F Boyer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 8
Joseph Boyer, who landed in New York in 1822 8
Peter Boyer, who landed in Maryland in 1841 8
Peter C Boyer, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
J B Boyer, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boyer Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Marguerite Maclin Boyer, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Louise Therese Boyer, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Charles Boyer, son of Pierre and Denise, who married Marguerite Tenard, daughter of Barthélemy and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 23rd November 1666 9
Nicolas Boyer, who arrived in Montreal in 1667
Nicolas Boyer, son of Etienne and Périnne, who married Marguerite Maclin, daughter of Jean and Suzanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 18th August 1667 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Antoine Boyer, son of Nicolas and Marguerite, who married Louise Payet, daughter of Pierre and Louise, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 2nd June 1704 9
Jean Boyer, son of Pierre and Jeanne, who married Jeanne Deguire, daughter of François and Marie-Rose, in Montreal, Quebec on 23rd September 1708 9
Jean-Baptiste Boyer, son of Etienne and Marie-Thérèse, who married Madeleine Bonnier, daughter of Jacques and Geneviève-Thérèse, in Quebec on 28th July 1710 9
Zacharie Boyer, son of Nicolas and Marguerite, who married Marie-Françoise Mezeret, daughter of Jean and Madeleine, in Montreal, Quebec on 26th November 1711 9
Antoine Boyer, son of Antoine and Louise, who married Catherine Gladus, daughter of Jean and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 1st December 1715 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Boyer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Boyer, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Buffalo" on 4th May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Francis Boyer, (b. 1812), aged 22, English butcher who was convicted in South Kesteven, (Kesteven), Lincolnshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Thomas Boyer, (b. 1803), aged 41, English labourer who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for 12 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1865 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Boyer (post 1700) +

Paul Delos Boyer (1918-2018), American molecular biologist and educator, co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Chemistry
Cloyd Victor Boyer Jr. (1927-2021), American right-handed pitcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball who played between 1949 and 1955 for the St. Louis Cardinals (1949–52) and Kansas City Athletics (1955)
Charles Scott Boyer II (1947-2018), American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Chenango, New York, co-founder of the band Cowboy
Charles Boyer (1899-1978), four-time Academy Award-nominated French born actor
Herbert Wayne Boyer (b. 1936), American recipient of the 1990 National Medal of Science, and co-recipient of the 1996 Lemelson-MIT Prize and a co-founder of Genentech
Charles A. Boyer (1911-1991), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Wexford District, 1955-62 13
Carl III Boyer (b. 1937), American Republican politician, Mayor of Santa Clarita, California, 1990, 1996 13
Calvin S. Boyer, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1929-30 13
C. W. Boyer, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1894-98; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1904 13
Bob Boyer, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1957 13
... (Another 42 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Boyer family +

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Francis Boyer (1945-1988), French Passenger from Toulosane, France, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 14

The Boyer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Contentment passe richesse
Motto Translation: Contentment surpasses riches.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html