Bonniface Surname

807,857th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 346 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Nigeria
Highest density in:
New Zealand

Bonniface Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'Boniface,' i.e. 'well-doer'; the name of a martyr, and also a pope (Yonge); a cant term now for the host of an inn, not from his round rubicund face, but from 'the jovial innkeeper in Farquhar's Beaux' Stratagem, 1707' (H.

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Bonniface Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Nigeria1681:1,054,42144,098
New Zealand981:46,2077,572
Australia311:870,82953,581
England191:2,932,529101,561
France131:5,109,440259,941
Scotland41:1,338,45435,497
South Africa31:18,059,235248,362
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
United States11:362,458,9331,988,048
Uganda11:39,039,279258,887
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Malaysia11:29,494,225409,885
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Haiti11:10,683,90724,607
Dominica11:75,891912
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England601:406,25624,311
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States31:16,739,561595,711

Bonniface (2,486) may also be a first name.

Bonniface Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'Boniface,' i.e. 'well-doer'; the name of a martyr, and also a pope (Yonge); a cant term now for the host of an inn, not from his round rubicund face, but from 'the jovial innkeeper in Farquhar's Beaux' Stratagem, 1707' (H.E.D).

Archibald Boneface, Kent, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Ernald Boneface, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Bonifacius le Clerc, Lincolnshire, ibid.

William Boneface, Close Rolls, 44 Edward III.

Robert Boneface. B. Boniface atte Poule, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Bonyface Meorys and Jackamyn Kelderley, married, 1543: St. Dionis Backchurch, London.

Boneface Blondell, sup. for B.A., 1456: Register of the University of Oxford.

1606. Buried — Boniface Tatam, whoe dwelte in marke laine: St. Peter, Cornhill.

Boniface of Savoy, archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1270), would give an English impetus to this name, just at the time when surnames were becoming hereditary.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

A well-known personal name, borne by several popes, &c.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Boniface is an old Sussex name that has characterised the county since the 15th century (L.).

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Bonniface Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Bonniface Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Bonniface is more commonly found in Nigeria than any other country/territory. It may appear as a variant:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Bonniface? popularity and diffusion

The last name Bonniface is the 807,857th most prevalent surname on a worldwide basis. It is borne by approximately 1 in 21,062,271 people. The surname occurs predominantly in Africa, where 51 percent of Bonniface live; 49 percent live in West Africa and 49 percent live in Atlantic-Niger Africa. It is also the 148,093rd most commonly occurring first name world-wide It is held by 2,486 people.

It is most commonly used in Nigeria, where it is borne by 168 people, or 1 in 1,054,421. In Nigeria it is mostly concentrated in: Taraba, where 14 percent live, Kaduna, where 14 percent live and Rivers, where 11 percent live. Not including Nigeria it occurs in 16 countries. It is also common in New Zealand, where 28 percent live and Australia, where 9 percent live.

Bonniface Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Bonniface has changed over time. In England the number of people who held the Bonniface last name declined 68 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in The United States it declined 67 percent between 1880 and 2014.

Phonetically Similar Names

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Bonniface Reference & Research

Boniface One-name Study - A profile of the Boniface surname with contact details for a researcher who collects any information pertaining to it.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Bonniface
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis