Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Boddie
Variants: Boddy, Boddye, Bodie, Body
Category: 1 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is in its early stages.
Contact: Mr Andrew Smith
Known variants for the Boddie surname that are already part of this study include Bodie, Boddy, Body, and Boddye.
Possible variants which are not yet part of this study include Bodde, Boddey, and Bodey.
Bode: For the purpose of this study, the surname Bode, which may have originated in Holland or Germany, is not considered to be a variant of Boddie, and information about the Bode surname is not collected.
The book 'A Dictionary of English Surnames' (3rd ed.) by P. H. Reaney and R. M. Wilson says that Body/Bodey/Boddy can be dated back to at least 1219 and that it is a nickname from the Old English 'bodig' meaning 'trunk, frame, bodily presence'.
The book 'American Surnames' by Elsdon C. Smith says that 'BODY is Hungarian, a man who came from Bod 'meadow' in Hungary.'
The following data for England/Wales and for the United States is obtained from the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) database and the U.S. Census Bureau (1990 and 1940 censuses):
Boddie - UK: a count of 117 with a ranking of 30024; U.S. (1990): a percentage of 0.002 with a ranking of 6453; U.S. (1940): 1213 individuals
Boddy - UK: a count of 3119 with a ranking of 2490; U.S. (1990): a percentage of 0.001 with a ranking of 13850; U.S. (1940): 1061 individuals
Boddye - UK: a count of 39 with a ranking of 59263; U.S. (1990): does not appear in the U.S. rankings; U.S. (1940): 13 individuals
Bodie - UK: a count of 129 with a ranking of 28215; U.S. (1990): a percentage of 0.001 with a ranking of 10807; U.S. (1940): 1171 individuals
Body - UK: a count of 1162 with a ranking of 5883; U.S. (1990): a percentage of 0.001 with a ranking of 11915; U.S. (1940): 1234 individuals
Therefore, all variants except for Boddye appear to be equally popular in the United States, while Boddy and Body appear to be the most popular variants in the United Kingdom.
Boddie: Found within New Zealand (primarily Waitomo District), the United States (especially in the South), Scotland (especially Aberdeenshire), and England.
Boddy: Found within New Zealand, England (especially Yorkshire), Canada (especially Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), and the United States.
Boddye: Within the United States, almost exclusively originally found in Nebraska, especially Jefferson County, and also found in Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Within England, almost exclusively originally found in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Within New Zealand, almost exclusively found in Timaru District, Canterbury.
Bodie: Within the United States, most common in South Carolina (primarily in Saluda County and adjacent counties) and Mississippi. Also known to exist within Canada (primarily Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland (primarily Dublin and Limerick), and France (primarily the Aube department).
Body: Found throughout New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, and several European countries.
It is expected that additional locations will be identified as the study progresses.