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Boyes History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Boyes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The surname Boyes is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Boyes is derived from the Old French word "bois," which means "wood," and indicates that the original bearer lived near a wooded area, such as a forest. 1

Early Origins of the Boyes family

The surname Boyes was first found in various parts of Scotland including Hugo Delboys who witnessed a confirmation charter by Hugh, Bishop of St. Andrews c. 1185-1188 according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. A few years later, Richard del Bois witnessed a confirmation charter of fishery in Torduf between 1194 and 1211. 2

About the same time, Walterus de Bosco witnessed a charter by Robert the Bruce c. 1190. Robert Boys was listed in Dumfriesshire c. 1259. Willelmus de Bosch or de Bosco, cancellarius domini regis, appears frequently as witness in the chartularies of Soltre, Glasgow, Kelso, Brechin, and Arnbroath between 1189-1222. Gaufridus de Bosco, Humphrey de Bosco, and Thomas de Bosco appear as charter witnesses between 1215-1245. Robert Boys is recorded in Dumfriesshire, c. 1259. 2

The Scottish branch of this ancient Norman family likely moved north from England to their first place of landing and settlement after the Conquest, as many of the earliest records of the family in Scotland were almost 100 years later. By example, Robert de Bois held estates in Buckinghamshire in 1086. The De Bois-Herbert family were barons of Halberton, Devon c. 1050.3

"Sir Humphrey de Bois, of Dryfesdale, who was slain at Lochmaben in 1333, is supposed by Dalrymple to have been the ancestor of Hector Boece, the historian." 4

Early History of the Boyes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boyes research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1150, 1296, 1413, 1465, 1536, 1543, 1594, 1719 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Boyes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Boyce, Boyes, Boze, Bois, Boise, Boice, Boas, Bost, Bust, Boast, Boost and many more.

Early Notables of the Boyes family

Notable among the family at this time was Hector Boece (sometimes spelt Boethius, or Boyce) (1465-1536), a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen. John Boste or Boaste (1543?-1594), was and English Catholic priest, "born of a good family at Dufton, in Westmorland, in or about 1543, and educated at Oxford. He was imprisoned in the Tower, where he was 'often most cruelly rack'd, insomuch that he was afterwards forced to go crooked upon a staff.' When he had so far recovered as to be fit to travel, he was sent back to the north, and...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boyes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyes Ranking

In the United States, the name Boyes is the 9,863^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Boyes is ranked the 987^th most popular surname with an estimated 761 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Boyes family to Ireland

Some of the Boyes 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.

Boyes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boyes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Cheney Boyes, who arrived in Virginia in 1618 7
Christopher Boyes, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 7
Hannah Boyes, who landed in Virginia in 1637 7
Matthew Boyes, who arrived in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1639 7
Joseph Boyes, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1641 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Boyes, aged 19, who arrived in New England in 1724 7
Mary Boyes, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1729-1730 7

Boyes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cana Boyes, who arrived in Iowa in 1873 7
Cassa Boyes, who landed in Iowa in 1873 7

Boyes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boyes Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Andrew Boyes U.E. who settled in Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1783 8

Boyes migration to Australia +

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

Boyes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Boyes, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 12th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. John Boyes, English agricultural labourer from Owslebury who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he returned to the UK in 1835 and died in 1856. 10
Mr. Thomas Boyes, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Miss Ann Boyes, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. Joseph Boyes, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boyes migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Boyes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Andrew Boyes, aged 31, a tailor, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Isabella Boyes, aged 25, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Andrew Boyes, aged 6, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Elizabeth Ann Boyes, aged 2, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Mr. Alfred Boyes (Bayes), British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Boyes (post 1700) +

Ethan Boyes (1978-2023), American cyclist born in Anchorage, Alaska, holder of a national record for the "flying start"
Christopher Boyes, American four-time Academy Award winning sound engineer
Karl W. Boyes (b. 1936), American politician, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1981-2003)
Karl Boyes, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives 3rd District; Elected 1980 15
Max Boyes (1934-2022), British hurdler who competed in the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Rear Admiral Hector George Boyes CMG, CIE (1881-1960), British officer of the Royal Navy
John Frederick Boyes (1811-1879), English scholar of classics, born 10 Feb. 1811, he entered Merchant Taylors' School in the month of October 1819, son of Benjamin Boyes (a Yorkshireman), a resident in Charterhouse Square 16
Harry Churchill Boyes (1868-1892), South African international rugby union winger
Roger Boyes (b. 1952), British journalist and author
Sir Brian Gerald Barratt- Boyes KBE (1924-2006), pioneering heart surgeon from New Zealand
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Boyes family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Frank R Boyes, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17

HMS Royal Oak

Louis Sydney Boyes (1910-1939), British Sailmaker’s Mate with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

RMS Titanic

Mr. John Henry Boyes (d. 1912), aged 36, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 19

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 28th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html