The Boeding name as it is usually seen in German, has an umlaut over the 'o' without an 'e' , Böding. It is speculated that Franz Xavier Boeding (1796 - 1878) and his descendants dropped the umlaut over the 'o' in favor of the 'oe' to 'Americanize' the name, as did other German emigrants with similar names. The pronunciation of the name differs in various regions of the country, the old Germans of Northeast Iowa pronounce it with a long 'a', Bâ-ding, where the Kansas Boedings tend to use a long 'o', Bô-ding.

No one really knows when the current spelling was adopted. Franz Xavier's (1796 - 1878) tombstone has the spelling with the 'oe'. The Rev. Arnold A. Boeding (1868 - 1944) signed his name on a letter dated February 23, 1882, Böding, but in another letter dated September 8, 1882, he spells his name Boeding. All of the immigration and naturalization documents for Conrad (1824 - 1893) and his son Edward Otto (1861 - 1910) have the 'oe' spelling. Funeral prayer cards for both of these men (printed in German), use Böding.