Armenian Genealogy Forum

Boyajian means "son of a dyer" or "son of a painter," of course, from the Turkish 'boya' or painter. My grandmother used to enjoy telling a folktale of how so many Armenians came to have this name.

The sultan, she said, once decreed that only Turks could wear colored clothing. The Armenians had to dye their cloths (grey or brown, I don't remember). Those that performed this service for their countrymen were called Boyajian!

Tsdestyun,

Nevdon Boyajian

My grandmother, who maiden name was Boyajian and was from Marash (famous for its ice cream), used to tell me that it meant son of a painter. But she didn't know the background. Thanx for sharing that.

Hi, Bob, I think that in Turkish "boya" does mean "painter" so your grandmother's translation works, too. Maybe "boya" can be a dyer or a painter?

Correction:

I just checked out www.turkishdictionary.net. Here's what I found:

Boya means paint, dye, color, and make-up

boyac?, badanac? and ressam mean painter

There's more. But the site uses abbreviations for which I didn't see explanations, so it's a bit confusing in places.

According to my dictionaries both old and new, the Turkish word 'boya' can mean several things: dye, paint, color, make-up, pigment, tincture, varnish, shoe-blacking.

The Turkish word 'boyaji' pronounced 'boyajuh' which Armenians and Assyrians spell and pronounce 'boyaji/boyajy can mean several things also: dyer, colorman, bootblack, house painter, dealer in paints.

The foregoing may explain why Boyajian is such a common name.

Boyadjian - was a first principal of very famous (60+ yrs old) school after Pushkin in Yerevan.

In an era when most entrepreneurs begin with a business plan, John Boyajian started out with a passion. In recently while in graduate school, John supported himself by exporting live lobsters to Europe. John approached the Petrossians, an Armenian-French family and internationally known purveyors of caviar, about the idea of distributing his New England lobsters abroad. While the Petrossians chose not to import his lobsters, they did offer John the opportunity to distribute their caviar in the U.S. In 1980, John sold his first tin of caviar to Boston’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel

he graduated from the University of Paris with a degree in Modern French Literature and then emigrated to the United States.In 1978, he established the Global Bakeries, Inc. in the production & supply of food product, and has become a national and international enterprise and he currently serves as President and CEO.In 1984, he established the first Armenian Youth Association Boy Scouts of America Pac.In 1993, he founded the Boyajian Youth Center in Pasadena, California, that focuses on social activities and Art Gallery for children in the community.

Armenian: patronymic from an occupational name for a painter, from Turkish boyaci ‘painter’.

It is important to note that Armenian surnames, although traditionally ending in -ian, -yan etc. are not all like this. Similarly to many foreign surnames, mistakes in translation have been made over the years and names such as Agon, Bastirma, Kraovov etc. It is best to ask the person of interest to find out if they are Armenian or not.Penny Auctions|Penny Auction Site

In Accordingly Armenian patronymic from Turkish basmaci, an occupational name for a maker or seller of textiles, from basma ‘printed textile’.Penis Enhancement|Bigger Penis

Boyajian
Armenian: patronymic from an occupational name for a painter, from Turkish boyaci ‘painter’.

No, that's the problem. Out elected representatives are not for ALL the people.

An Armenian-French family and internationally known purveyors of caviar, about the idea of distributing his New England lobsters abroad.

Russian word meaning ‘hawk’, probably usually applied as a descriptive nickname, although it could also be an occupational name for a falconer.