Boynton
A locational surname from Boynton in Yorkshire, originally meaning a settlement on or beside higher ground.
The #5,024 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,214 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Boynton is generally taken from the place-name Boynton in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Early writers linked it to an older form like Buvington/Bovington, with the first element probably referring to a personal name or family group, and the place described as being on raised ground. In modern surname dictionaries, it is treated as a locational name from this Yorkshire village rather than as an occupational or nickname surname.
History
Historical sources connect the name with the Yorkshire village of Boynton and with families seated there in the medieval period. The name later appears among gentry and landed families, including the Boynton baronets. In the United States it is relatively uncommon, but it has remained in use as a hereditary surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The place-name Boynton is associated with an elevated site, which is why older explanations gloss it as a settlement on higher ground.
From the historical record
“Bowman. BOYNTON.* Bartholomew de Bovhig- ton, living at the beginning of the XII. cent., stands at the head of the pedigree. Shirley's Noble and Gentle Men. BRACE.* Sometimes a corruption of Braosc. BRACEBRIDGE. " In the time of King John, the venerable famil}-^ of Bracebridge, originally of Bracebridge in…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom