The noble surname Boily originated in the region of Maine, in France. Boily is a topographic surname, which is a type of hereditary surname. Topographic names were 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 individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original villages, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.
The surname Boily was first found in Maine, a province in France, where they held a family seat at Etienne about the year 1150. The English branch of the family was founded by Charles Boileau, Baron of Castelnau and St Croix, who fled to England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. From him, the Boileau Baronetcy, of Tacolneston Hall in the County of Norfolk were descended.
Pierre Boileau, born in 1676, son of Vincent and Geneviève (née Girard), travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marguerite Menard, daughter of Maurice and Madeleine (née Long), on 5th July 1706 at Boucherville. They had two children together, René and Marguerite-Françoise, and remained together in Quebec until Pierre passed away at Chambly on 3rd March 1730.
Guillaume Boily, born on 12th January 1682, son of Antoine and Antoinette (née Bertrand), was a French blacksmith that travelled from Poitou, France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Louise Gagne, daughter of Ignace and Barbe (née Dodier), at Baie-Saint-Paul on 30th October 1726. They had two children, Louise and Jean-Baptiste, and remained together in Quebec until Guillaume passed away at the age of 82 on 18th February 1764. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boily research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1700, 1631, 1669, 1648, 1704, 1636 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Boily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Boileau, Boilo, Boilaux, Boilau, Boileaux, Boilot, Boilleau, Boillo, Boillaux, Boillau, Boilleaux, Boillot, Boilolt, Boileault, Boilault, Boilout, Boillout, Boilleault and many more.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boily Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In Canada, the name Boily is the 755th most popular surname with an estimated 7,071 people with that name. [2] However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Boily is ranked the 243rd most popular surname. [3]
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: