Boyd - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Boyd

Boyd is a compact Scottish transplant, derived from the Gaelic adjective “buidhe,” meaning “yellow” or “fair-haired,” and historically tied to the once-influential Clan Boyd of Ayrshire as well as the Isle of Bute. Carried to the United States in the great trans-Atlantic migrations, the name gained steady footing as a given name rather than a surname: Social Security data show it climbing into the national top-300 by the First World War, then retreating gradually as naming fashions diversified, settling today in the high-800s with about seventy boys per year. Its phonetic profile—one taut syllable ending in the fashionable “d” stop—keeps it crisp amid longer modern inventions, while cultural references, from LDS leader Boyd K. Packer to actor Boyd Holbrook and the sardonic outlaw Boyd Crowder of “Justified,” lend it a quietly rugged aura. For parents who favor brevity, Celtic heritage, and a hint of vintage grit, Boyd offers a succinct yet distinctive choice.