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Bois Family History

Bois Surname Meaning

French: topographic name for someone living or working in a wood from (Old) French bois ‘wood’ (from Late Latin boscum ‘bush shrub undergrowth’ of ancient Germanic origin) or a habitational name from (Le) Bois the name of several places in various parts of France.

This surname is also found in Haiti. Compare Debois and the most frequent French form Dubois.

Compare also Boie, Boies, and Boyce.

English: variant of Boyce and Boyes.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Bois family from?

You can see how Bois families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bois family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bois families were found in Canada in 1911. In 1911 there were 288 Bois families living in Quebec. This was about 65% of all the recorded Bois's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Bois families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bois surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bois ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Journalier and Servante were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bois. 30% of Bois men worked as a Journalier and 37% of Bois women worked as a Servante. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bois were Charretier and Couturire.

View Census Data for Bois | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Journalier
    30%
  • Cultivateur
    15%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Charretier
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servante
    37%
  • Rentire
    28%
  • Vendeur
    19%
  • Couturire
    19%

What Bois family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 28,000 census records available for the last name Bois. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bois census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bois

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Bois. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bois immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 10,000 military records available for the last name Bois. For the veterans among your Bois ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bois military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bois family history

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What is the average Bois lifespan?

Between 1960 and 2004, in the United States, Bois life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Bois in 1960 was 51, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bois

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bois ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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