Given name & surname
Boaz
“swiftness”·“one who is swift”
Boaz is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “swiftness” and “one who is swift” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewבועז
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “swiftness” and “one who is swift” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Boaz appears in 1 Kings 7:21, Ruth 2:1, Deuteronomy 26:6 and 3 other passages.
- 1 Kings 7:21
- Ruth 2:1
- Deuteronomy 26:6
- Ruth 4:10
- Matthew 1:5
- Luke 3:32
From biblical name research
Boaz through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,476
- 3,476 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 268 babies
- 2025
- 268
- #891 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +35%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 268 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 891 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (24). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,271 as a first name in 2020; 3,063 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Boaz’s family of names
Boaz has a related form in Boas. Boaz has a related form in Boase. Boaz has a related form in Boaze.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Boaz has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Boaz comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 18
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Boaz
- Boaz Ma'udaIsraeli singerborn 1987
- Boaz Myhillassociation football player (born 1982)
- Boaz YakinAmerican screenwriter and film directorborn 1966
- Boaz MeylinkDutch rowerborn 1984
- Boaz SolossaIndonesian footballerborn 1986
- Boaz Davidsonfilm directorborn 1943
- Boaz Kiplagat LalangKenyan athletics competitor (born 1989)
- Boaz ToporovskyIsraeli politicianborn 1980
- Boaz KramerIsraeli wheelchair tennis playerborn 1978
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Boaz, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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