Given name & surname
Boyce
“wood”
Boyce is a masculine given name from Old French, meaning “wood.”
Meaning & origin
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1885. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Boyce through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,576
- 5,518 boys · 58 girls
- Most popular year
- 1938
- 126 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,038 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,038 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 28.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,377 as a first name in 2020; 26,044 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.
Boyce’s family of names
In English usage, Boyce as a surname has a related form in Boise.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Boyce
- Boyce BuddAmerican rowerborn 1939
- Boyce McDanielAmerican physicist (1917–2002)
- Boyce F. Martin Jr.United States court of appeals judge (1935-2016)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Boyce, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Burgin
Burgin is a surname from Old French.
>99% boys
Rayford
“from the roe deer crossing”
>99% boys
Rives
“one who lives by the riverbank”
>99% boys
Jacque
“he who supplants” · “the supplanter”
>99% boys
Lowell
“resembling a young wolf”
99% boys · 1% girls
Lonnie
“prepared for battle; eager and ready” · “having the strength of a lion”
86% boys · 14% girls
Burgess
“a free citizen of the town”
>99% boys
Toribio
“having great strength”
>99% boys