Where does my name come from?

Where did the last name boyd come from?

• Well ikno it might sound a little weird. But my guy has this last name. And he looks mixed. Although when iasked him he said he was mixed with black and more black. Why is that? And where did this name come from like is it foreign or am I thinking abt. It too much. Ireally would like to kno the history of this name because it's not common . Like my name is (smith) so iwas wondering if someone could help me out. Thanxx

• Answer:

  The surname Boyd is of Scottish origin. It could have begun as a name for someone from "the island of Bute, located in the Firth of Clyde," Scotland or for someone with fair/light hair color - "the gaelic word Boidh, which means fair or yellow-haired." Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyd_%28surname%29 http://www.clanboyd.info/famous/origin/index.htm You can read more on the Boyd surname here: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Boyd So, perhaps your friend had ancestors who had the surname Boyd and may have originally been from Scotland, back in the mists o' time, or one of his ancestors liked the surname and took it as his own, or if he & his family are African-American, the last name of the man who owned the slaves who were your friend's ancestors might have had the surname Boyd. The surname may not be common where you live. That does not mean it is an uncommon surname. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the surname Boyd, in the USA, is ranked as 164th most common - from the 2000 census data - with 149,476 people having that surname at the time. Source: File A - http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/data/2000surnames/index.html Compared to my surname (the way I spell it, where in the 2000 census there were 4 of us with the particular spelling in the USA), over 149,000 people with that name is A LOT! :-) Librarians--Ask Us, We Answer! Find your local Public Library at: http://www.publiclibraries.com/ Find your College/University Library at: http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/Academic_main.html Best wishes