Boy · Latin
Bonifatius
Say it: bon-ih-FAY-shus
Meaning
From bonum 'good' and fatum 'fate'. The later spelling Bonifacius came from a folk link to facere 'to do', read as 'doer of good'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Carried by late Roman figures and popes, and brought to Germany by the English missionary St. Boniface.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
- Ancient Rome750 BC to AD 476
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Bonifacius
| English | Boniface |
|---|---|
| Italian | Bonifacio |
| Spanish | Bonifacio |
| French | Boniface |
| German | Bonifaz |
Famous bearers
- St. Boniface, apostle of Germany
- Pope Boniface VIII
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- Calendars of saints and name days
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.