boys' name ★ peaked 1922

Boyd

Meaning blond, yellow, fair Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,959 Trend ↓ Falling 32%

From Scottish Gaelic, either buidhe (“blond, yellow, fair”), or a habitational surname from the Isle of Bute in Scotland.

Rank 2025
#1,959
among boys · ↑253 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
78
named Boyd · +20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,898
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1922
508 babies
All-time total
27,745
#706 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Boyd popularity over time

27,745 babies have been named Boyd since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 311 311 31 – #237
1890s – 371 371 37 +19% #228
1900s – 510 510 51 +37% #260
1910s 22 2,781 2,803 280 +450% #252
1920s 33 4,562 4,595 460 +64% #248
1930s 5 3,957 3,962 396 -14% #262
1940s 5 3,735 3,740 374 -6% #285
1950s – 3,713 3,713 371 -1% #345
1960s – 3,132 3,132 313 -16% #401
1970s – 1,477 1,477 148 -53% #490
1980s – 742 742 74 -50% #894
1990s – 544 544 54 -27% #1,396
2000s – 457 457 46 -16% #2,094
2010s – 856 856 86 +87% #1,422
2020s (to 2025) – 532 532 89 +4% #1,528

Where Boyd is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 74 0.04 outside top 500
2027 70 0.04 outside top 500
2028 67 0.04 outside top 500
2029 65 0.04 outside top 500
2030 63 0.04 outside top 500

Where Boyd is most popular

Boys named Boyd per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.049 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Boyd born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Iowa 12 0.174 +255%
Kentucky 10 0.100 +103%
Indiana 14 0.087 +78%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 +15%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -8%
Missouri 6 0.043 -12%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -14%
Michigan 7 0.034 -30%
Texas 29 0.033 -33%
Virginia 6 0.032 -35%
California 14 0.015 -69%
Florida 5 0.011 -78%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Boyd

Boyd is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,959 in 2025 with 78 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 27,745 American babies have been named Boyd. Its peak came in 1922, when 508 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Boyd stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Boyd?

The median living Boyd is about 63 years old; half are between 46 and 73. An estimated 12 thousand people named Boyd are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Boyd year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 78 #1,959
2024 – – 65 #2,212
2023 – – 67 #2,151
2022 – – 107 #1,628
2021 – – 106 #1,606
2020 – – 109 #1,528
2019 – – 97 #1,659
2018 – – 117 #1,480
2017 – – 122 #1,422
2016 – – 99 #1,619
2015 – – 81 #1,828
2014 – – 99 #1,588
2013 – – 75 #1,881
2012 – – 73 #1,943
2011 – – 44 #2,707
2010 – – 49 #2,519
2009 – – 43 #2,804
2008 – – 51 #2,474
2007 – – 63 #2,141
2006 – – 38 #2,937
2005 – – 43 #2,571
2004 – – 44 #2,495
2003 – – 43 #2,435
2002 – – 51 #2,094
2001 – – 40 #2,433
2000 – – 41 #2,336
1995 – – 53 #1,683
1990 – – 64 #1,396
1985 – – 79 #1,034
1980 – – 98 #905
1975 – – 137 #707
1970 – – 273 #490
1965 – – 285 #460
1960 – – 370 #410
1955 – – 369 #376
1950 – – 342 #365
1945 – – 318 #335
1940 – – 374 #290
1935 – – 351 #289
1930 – – 430 #272
1925 8 #3,706 493 #256
1920 7 #4,010 457 #256
1915 – – 335 #264
1910 – – 86 #263
1905 – – 40 #316
1900 – – 62 #260
1895 – – 31 #330
1890 – – 35 #290
1885 – – 40 #263
1880 – – 16 #443

Famous people named Boyd

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Boyd Holbrook Boyd Holbrook American actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  2. 2 Boyd Alexander Boyd Alexander British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873–1910) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Boyd, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Boyd?

The median living Boyd is about 63 years old. Half of all living Boyds are between 46 and 73 years old.

How many people named Boyd are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Boyd are alive in the United States, based on 27,745 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Boyd mean?

From Scottish Gaelic, either buidhe (“blond, yellow, fair”), or a habitational surname from the Isle of Bute in Scotland.

How popular is the name Boyd in 2025?

Boyd ranked #1,959 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 78 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Boyd?

27,745 babies have been named Boyd in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Boyd most popular?

Boyd peaked in 1922, when 508 newborns received the name.

Is Boyd a boy or girl name?

Boyd is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Boyd rising or falling?

Boyd has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Boyd become more popular?

Boyd is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 63 boys named Boyd in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Boyd?

Well-known people named Boyd include Boyd Holbrook (actor), Boyd Alexander (explorer).

Names like Boyd

Names that sound and feel close to Boyd: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Boyd with similar names → More names starting with B →