Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • French : from the Old French verb boi(re) ‘to drink’ + the definite article l’ + eau ‘water’, hence a nickname, perhaps for a teetotaler, perhaps for a drinker, or perhaps for someone who was so parsimonious he was prepared to run the risk of drinking water. Compare Drinkwater.
  • An English and Irish family called Boileau is descended from Étienne Boileau, who was governor of Paris under Louis IX in 1255. A number of the family later became Huguenots, and so exiles who brought the name to North America and elsewhere. Charles Boileau (1673–1733) was a senior commander in the forces under the Duke of Marlborough, and his sons settled in Dublin.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe