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.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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