Contents [hide]

Bois History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bois History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

The name Bois was originally derived from the Old French "bois," which meant "wood." The name was no doubt originally used in France by someone living or working in the woods. 1

Early Origins of the Bois family

The surname Bois was first found in Essex where William de Bois was listed as holdings land there at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.

However, due to the literal translation of the name into English, we cannot presume that there is one main branch from which all others have evolved. By example, "De Bois-Arnaud, hereditary stewards of the counts of Breteuil, sires of Poilly," signatures appeared in the charter of William Fitz-Osborne to the Lire Abbey during the reign of William I. 2

De Bois-Herbert who were barons of Halberton, Devon were listed there in 1050. Apparently they flourished in Dorset, but the Devon record was a branch of the family at that time.

A little further to the north in Buckinghamshire, De Bois-Robert from whom Robert de Bois descended held estates there in 1086. 2

Another source notes that some of the family were Protestant Huguenots who fled to England from Brittany settling in Thorney, Canterbury, Norwich and London. 1

Early History of the Bois family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bois research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1296, 1327, 1388, 1396, 1447, 1533, 1541, 1560, 1571, 1589, 1596, 1599, 1607, 1612, 1619, 1625, 1643, 1644, 1645, 1656, 1663, 1664, 1667, 1678, 1710, 1718, 1736 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bois History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bois Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bois, De Bois, Dubois, Boyes, Boys, Boyse, Boice and many more.

Early Notables of the Bois family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Bois (sometimes spelled Boys) (1560-1643), an English scholar, Deacon of the Church of England, best remembered as one of the members of the committee for the Authorized Version of the Bible

Bois Ranking

In Quebec, Canada, the name Bois is the 560^th most popular surname. 3 However, in France, the name Bois is ranked the 612^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,728 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Bois family to Ireland

Some of the Bois family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bois migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bois Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Bois, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
Jacques Du Bois, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5

Bois migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bois Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mathurin Bois married in Chateau-Richer, Quebec in 1672

Bois Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jacques Bois married in Rivière-Ouelle in 1704
Jacques Bois, son of René and Reine, who married Anne Soucy, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 5th March 1704 6
Jacques Bois, son of Jacques and Anne, who married Angélique Mignier, daughter of Michel and Angélique, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec on 30th November 1730 6
Bernard Bois, son of Jacques and Anne, who married Madeleine Pelletier, daughter of Jean-François and Madeleine, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec on 26th November 1736 6
Charles Bois, son of Pierre and Jeanne, who married Geneviève Letarte, daughter of Joseph and Catherine, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 5th November 1742 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bois (post 1700) +

Raoul Pene Du Bois (1914-1985), American costume designer and scenic designer, nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction
William Pène du Bois (1916-1993), French American author and illustrator
Travis Du Bois Jr., American politician, Mayor of Waco, Texas, 1970-71 7
George Du Bois, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Albany County 2nd District, 1900 7
Coert du Bois (b. 1881), American politician, U.S. Consul in Paris, 1919-20; Naples, 1920-21; Port Said, 1922; U.S. Consul General in Batavia, 1927-30; Genoa, 1931; Naples, 1931-35; Havana, 1938 7
Major-General Thophile-Eugne-Dsir-Marie Bois (1880-1974), 8
Brigadier-General Samuel Bois (1890-1958), French Commanding Officer during World War II 9
Rob du Bois (b. 1934), Dutch composer, pianist, and jurist
Daniel "Danny" Bois (b. 1983), Canadian professional ice hockey winger
Yve-Alain Bois (b. 1952), Algerian historian and critic of modern art
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
"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.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Thophile-Eugne-Dsir-Marie Bois. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Bois/Th%C3%A9ophile-Eug%C3%A8ne-D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9-Marie/France.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Samuel Bois. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Bois/Samuel-Louis-Alcide/France.html