We assume here that the original form Bophîn had a similar pronunciation to the anglicised form 'Boffin', but this is not necessarily the case. The implication of the circumflex accent in Bophîn is not explained, and might potentially indicate that the stress should be on the second syllable (that is, as 'boffi'n'). Alternatively, it might be taken to suggest that the 'i' sound is pronounced long, producing something like 'bo'ffeen'. These complexities, however, can probably be disregarded (as Tolkien notes himself that the use of a circumflex in languages other than Elvish usually has no special significance).

Though the members of this family preferred the meaning 'one who laughs loudly' for their name, there is little external evidence to support this. Tolkien observes that the Common Speech contained no similar word that would make a connection to laughing, though he observes that the name was not originally from the Common Speech, but rather from an old Harfoot dialect. Whatever its etymological origin, the name held no particular meaning to the Shire-hobbits who lived in the later Third Age.