Could Biblical name Boaz be the new Ezra?
Thanks to Rocking Fetal for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
THE MEANING OF BOAZ
In Hebrew, Boaz means swiftness.
Back in the Old Testament, Boaz was Ruth’s husband.
In some tellings, theirs is a December-June romance. Others versions of the Biblical narrative paint Boaz as young, handsome, and a wealthy landowner to boot. Regardless of Boaz’ attributes, he and Ruth had a son, and their son had a son, who had a son of his own – the future King David.
His distinctive name also appears in the New Testament, mentioned as an ancestor of King David, and thus, Jesus.
A pair of pillars, described as copper, brass, or bronze, stood outside the first temple in Jerusalem. They’re called Boaz and Jachin. In this case, Boaz is said to mean strength, while Jachin means “he shall establish.”
They’re both positive meanings, and straightforward ones, too.
EDGY, DISTINCTIVE SOUND
Names borrowed from Judeo-Christian traditions are riding high in the 21st century. Even as Noah, Asher, and Ezra rank as Top 100 favorites, Boaz stands out.
It’s pronounced with two-syllables: BO az.
Some Biblical translations spell it Booz, but that’s a non-starter.
While there aren’t many nicknames of Boaz, it shares the same first syllable as Bodhi, Boden, Bowen, and Beau. Shortening Boaz to Bo makes it a little more versatile.
We love Z, too. Just ask Top 100 Ezra, Ezekiel, and Enzo, as well as names with an S that sounds like Z, like Isaiah.
NOTABLE USES OF BOAZ
Beyond the Book of Ruth, it’s possible to find Boaz in use as a surname and place.
At least four cities in the United States are called Boaz.
One of them, in Wisconsin, boasts a prehistoric claim to fame. It’s the site of an early mastodon fossil find. Way back in 1897, four brothers were walking near a creek following a storm, and stumbled on the bones. It wasn’t the only mastodon find in the area, and the story is fascinating. The Boaz mastodon remains on display at the University of Wisconsin, and locally famous.
In the United Kingdom, the surname is sometimes mixed with Boyce and Bowes or Boas, the variants shaped by shifting pronunciation over time.
Actor Donny Boaz, who played Chance Chancellor on soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2019 to 2021, is one notable bearer of the surname.
HOW POPULAR IS BOAZ?
While the baby name Boaz has always been known, it’s rarely enjoyed much popularity, at least among English speakers.
Boaz has also had a good run in the Netherlands, where it has ranked in their Top 100 since 2010. It fits right in with names like Siem (Simon), Moos (Moses), and Mats (Matthias).
Other European languages, though, tend to overlook Boaz with remarkable consistency.
That said, the name has seen steady use in Israel, and a number of athletes and other notables have answered to Boaz.
Recently, the name has increased in use, from just 30 boys in the year 2000 to a new high of 234 births in 2023, tipping Boaz into the rankings for the first time ever.
The baby name Boaz left the charts in 2024, only to return in 2025, now standing at #891.
RISING POSSIBILITY
With a mix of historical depth and relatively uncommon status, the baby name Boaz could appeal to parents looking for a stands-out/fits-in kind of choice.
The name’s Hebrew origins offer a solid meaning and strong story for the name choice. It’s an obvious substitute for Ezra, a timeless, masculine name that shortens to oh-so current Bo, and the kind of name everyone knows but (almost) no one is choosing.
There are lots of reasons to put Boaz on your list of possibilities.
What do you think of the baby name Boaz?
First published on June 18, 2009, this post was revised on May 17, 2024 and again on May 14, 2026.
Boaz is a spunky choice. I went to school with an Ezra and always liked it. It has always had a vibrant vibe to me. I also like the possible nickname option of Bo.
I adore the Silas, Ezra, and Boaz set also! Of that set, Boaz is the only one my husband would consider– Silas with our S-last name would be too much for him and he’d call Ezra “girly” because of the -a ending. I like Boaz, and Bo is a nice nickname– it grows up well from a cute little boy to a strong man in my mind.
(Regaring Ezra sounding girly to my husband, when my Calypso was younger, we had the same problem in reverse– strangers (when making appointments on the phone and such) assuming that she was a boy because her name ended in -o. As the name is more out there, used on a lot of products and featured in the last Pirates of the Carribean movie, we’re having a lot less of that. Ezra is all boy to me, in any case.)
I don’t care for it, but it is a great way to get to Bo. Still like Beau better, tho’.
Thank you so much for making Boaz NOTD! It’s a name that has really grown on me and is slowly crawling up my (not so) long list.
Silas, Ezra and Boaz is about my favorite set ever! 😛 I wanted to name my first son Silas, but we went with Lucas instead. Our second son is Ezra. Boaz is a little much next to Ezra for my liking, but maybe I’ll use it down the line.
Call me (Ishmael) crazy, but I really prefer the “boze” pronunciation; it’s just easier and more user-friendly when I try to say it.
This is a name I’d consider for my own son, but I know without even asking that my husband would cross it off the list immediately. Too “out there” for him. Plus we’d never be able to use a name that had “Bo” as a nn (as much as I love it), because “Bo Bilbo” is just too…Too.
I’m undecided on this one. To me the pronunciation is intuitive, and I don’t mind the sound, but I agree with Emmy Jo’s proposal – he doesn’t sound very much like a name to me, despite Noah sitting at #10 for the boys.
I’d never use him, but I’d be charmed to hear one!
Boaz is a fun sounding name that I could see appealing to parents with a sense of adventure. It makes me think of Joan Baez just because Boaz and Baez have a similar structure. And while Emmy Jo has a point, there are names like Chaz and Miles (which is the z sound at the end, even if it’s not written as such) and some others, so the final z isn’t too strange… and Noah is an o-a combo, even if that a sounds like an ‘uh’ rather than an ‘aaah’. Didn’t think of the clown/Bozo or the sound system. It seems fairly intuitive to pronounce it properly. It seems pretty wearable to me and the option to go with the nn Bo makes it even more so. Not for me, but definitely for someone else!
Although I live in Seattle, I have crashed my car outside of Boaz, Wisconsin – TWICE. Within a 30-yard stretch.
I feel like it would be a very bad omen to give that name to any child of mine.
Definitely avoid this name!
Boaz is getting a warmer reception that I’d have guessed!
Tau, I agree – unless you crashed your car and then met your future spouse at the service station waiting for a repair … well, Boaz is NOT for you! 😉
Friends of my brother have three sons named Silas, Ezra and Boaz (usually called Bo). A little matchy-match soundwise, but otherwise I always thought they were a rather well named sibling set.
Julie, that is a nice threesome. And I like Bo/Beau, so why not? Though Silas, Ezra and Boaz is tough to say three times fast!
Boaz could be a cool name. I never thought to associate it with Bose speakers (even though my husband has two huge ones right next to our computer) or Bozo the Clown. (Just to clarify, you meant to write “Bozo the Clown” and not “Boaz the Clown,” right? I’ve never heard of a clown called Boaz.)
The thing that I think has kept it out of the rankings is that it doesn’t sound very similar to English names. Gideon, for example, and even Hiram and Adoniram, have a “name-like feel” in English, if that makes sense. Plenty of boys’ names end in N, and there are even a few popular ones that end in M (which linguistically is similar to N anyway).
But few names end in Z, and few names have that “o-a” vowel transition — so altogether the name sounds somewhat foreign.
But if Boaz is to be revived, now seems to be the time. After all, the top-20 Noah has similar vowel sounds and plenty of names that are clearly foreign and biblical are experiencing peaks of popularity (like the Isaiah you mentioned, or Elijah).
Yikes! Yes, Emmy Jo. Bozo. Boaz the Clown … not so much! I’ve changed it – thank you!