Fun Facts About the Name Boy
- 916 babies named Boy: U.S. records list 916 babies given the name Boy from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Boy Mean?
The given name Boy is primarily Dutch and Frisian. It is a variant of Boye, whose origin is disputed. One explanation derives Boye from the Old Norse byname Búi, meaning 'dweller,' from the verb búa, 'to dwell.' Another explanation treats it as a Frisian short form of names containing the element bod, 'messenger,' such as Bodo. In English, Boy is also used as a word name from the English noun boy, meaning a male child. That noun comes from Middle English boi or boy, originally also 'servant,' and its deeper etymology is uncertain. The Dutch name and the English word are not related.
Boy Name History & Origins
The Dutch name Boy is a shorter form of Boye, a masculine name used in Friesland and elsewhere in the Netherlands. The history of Boye is not fully settled. In Denmark and Norway, Boye is derived from the Old Norse byname Búi, which described a dweller or farmer and came from the verb búa, 'to dwell.' In Frisian naming, Boye is instead explained as a diminutive of names beginning with bod, 'messenger,' such as Bodo. Both explanations are cited for the Dutch name, and no single origin is firmly established.
In English, Boy is used as a nickname and occasionally as a given name taken from the common noun. That noun comes from Middle English boi or boy, which originally could mean a male servant as well as a male child, and its deeper origin is uncertain. The English name is perhaps best known through nicknames, such as Boy Capel, the nickname of Arthur Edward Capel. The English word and the Dutch given name are homographs but have separate histories.
How Popular is the Name Boy?
Boy has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2019. Its best rank was #1,150 in 1903.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,238 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #4,436 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2023 | #4,122 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #4,319 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #3,591 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #4,034 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #2,902 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 2018 | #2,952 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2017 | #3,452 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2016 | #4,797 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #3,893 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #3,797 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2013 | #4,643 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #4,555 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,001 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #5,508 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #6,856 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #3,427 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2007 | #6,306 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #4,012 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #5,316 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #5,529 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #5,300 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #4,936 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #2,493 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2000 | #5,066 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #2,467 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #4,907 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #4,694 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #3,211 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #3,315 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #2,954 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #2,298 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1992 | #2,541 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1991 | #3,478 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #4,694 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #4,854 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #4,827 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #3,996 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1986 | #5,399 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #3,826 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #4,606 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #3,862 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1932 | #3,838 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #3,512 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,971 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,891 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1908 | #1,400 | 5 | 0.0032% |
| 1903 | #1,150 | 5 | 0.0042% |
| 1900 | #1,337 | 5 | 0.0033% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Boy Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Boy's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Boy's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.