Given name & surname
Boy
“doer of good deeds”
Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. One Late Latin interpretation is “doer of good deeds.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. One Late Latin interpretation is “doer of good deeds.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. An origin associated with Bonifacio is Late Latin. In German use, Boy is a short form of Bodo. An origin associated with Bodo is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Filipino usage, Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. In German usage, Boy is a short form of Bodo.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. The history of Bonifacio gives this family its wider story. Bonifacio’s historical associations include several early saints, including a 7th-century pope and an Anglo-Saxon missionary.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Boy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 923
- 923 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 42 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #5,238 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −19%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,238 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 42 in 2019. In 2025, North Dakota had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 18,094 as a first name in 2020; 4,027 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.
Boy’s family of names
In Filipino usage, Boy is a diminutive of Bonifacio. In German usage, Boy has a related form in BOI. In German usage, Boy is a short form of Bodo.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Boy has relatives in 3 languages.
6 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Boy
- Boy WatermanDutch footballerborn 1984
- Boy HayjeDutch racing driverborn 1949
- Boy van PoppelDutch racing cyclistborn 1988
- Boy GobertGerman actor (1925-1986)
- Boy LornsenGerman sculptor and writer (1922–1995)
- Boy DeulDutch footballerborn 1987
- Boy CapelEnglish polo player1881–1919
- Boy WesterhofDutch tennis playerborn 1985
- Boy EdgarDutch conductor, pianist and trumpeter (1915–1980)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Boy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bo
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Banks is a surname.
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Bodie
“one who brings news; a herald” · “one who provides shelter or is sheltered”
98% boys · 2% girls
Bowen
“the son of Owen”
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Bodhi
Bodhi is a masculine given name from Sanskrit.
96% boys · 4% girls
Benson
“the son of Ben”
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Bentley
“from the meadow of bent grass”
95% boys · 5% girls