Boe
Boe was the 3318th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 2004th; the most babies were born in 2015 (40). Over the last ten years it has moved down 393 places. More babies were named Boe in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Beau) handsome (French) · French
- Rank in 2025
- #3,318 boys, up 510 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 35boys
- Girls and boys
- 5% girls, 95% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201540 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,101babies recorded
What does the name Boe mean?
Boe is a spelling of Beau, pronounced the same way, so it shares Beau's meaning and origin.
Beau is the French word for 'handsome' or 'beautiful', the masculine form of belle. Wiktionary notes two routes into use as a first name: directly from the French word, and as a shortened form of French-derived surnames such as Beauregard and Beaumont, which were used as given names in the American South. The French word, from Latin bellus, 'pretty', also entered English as beau, a sweetheart or, in older use, a fashionable man. It has been a given name since the mid-20th century.
beau (French, “handsome, beautiful”)bellus (Latin, “pretty, fine”)
How sure is this? Probable. Both the word and the surname-shortening routes are given; which applies varies by family.
Related names: Bo, Beauregard, Beaumont, Belle.
See also: French names, names that mean beautiful.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Beau', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'beau', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Boe popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | #3,318 | — | 35 |
| 2020 | — | #3,828 | — | 27 |
| 2010 | — | #3,905 | — | 26 |
| 2000 | — | #6,370 | — | 10 |
| 1990 | — | #4,440 | — | 12 |
| 1980 | — | #2,289 | — | 22 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Boe, counting every spelling?
Boe is a spelling of Beau, a name family that ranked #51 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,318 for Boe on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,140 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau | 5,165 | #60 | 21,742 |
| Bo | 698 | #449 | 3,259 |
| Beaux | 236 | #970 | 1,101 |
| Boe | 35 | #3,318 | 176 |
| Bowe | 6 | #10,869 | 41 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Boe?
35 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Boe (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Boe born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 240 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Boe.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Boe?
About 1,000 people born in the US named Boe are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 8 and 35. That makes Boe mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Boe by state
How common Boe was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Boe: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Boe, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Boe
What does Boe mean?
Boe is a spelling of Beau, which means “handsome (French)” (French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Boe?
Boe was the 3318th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 2004th; the most babies were born in 2015 (40). Over the last ten years it has moved down 393 places. More babies were named Boe in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Boe a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 5% girls, 95% boys given the name Boe in the US.
Where is Boe most popular?
In 2021–2025, Boe was most common in Minnesota (0.04 per 1,000 boys).