2000
#1,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.31
Uncommon Last name
Boggs
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a bog or swamp.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,436 Americans carry the last name Boggs. That puts it at #1,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,261 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boggs surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,261
Census rank
#1,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,542 bearers of the surname Boggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boggs
The surname Boggs has its origins in England, and it is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bog," which referred to a small stream or a marshy area. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or were associated with such geographic features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Boggs can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century, where it appears as "de Bogges." This early spelling variation reflects the common practice of adding the prefix "de" to denote a person's place of origin or association.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family of Norfolk. One notable bearer of the name was John Boggs, a merchant and landowner mentioned in these letters around 1450.
The Boggs surname has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Boggsworth in Leicestershire and Bogg's Green in Cheshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root word and may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Boggs. One such person was Benjamin Boggs (c. 1680-1749), an English Quaker who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century and became a prominent landowner and community leader.
Another notable figure was James Boggs (1760-1839), an American pioneer and surveyor who played a significant role in the early settlement of Ohio. He was instrumental in establishing the town of Boggsborough (now known as Circleville) and served as a military officer during the War of 1812.
In the literary realm, Kate Boggs (1875-1957) was an American author and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of nature and rural life. Her collection of poems, "The Blazed Trail," published in 1911, received critical acclaim.
The name Boggs has also been associated with the world of sports. Bert Boggs (1901-1976) was an American professional baseball player who played for various teams in the Major Leagues, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, during the 1920s and 1930s.
Lastly, Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015) was an influential American author, social activist, and philosopher. She was a prominent figure in the Black Power movement and advocated for various civil rights and labor causes throughout her long and remarkable life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Boggs bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Boggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 22,899
- Black or African American5.4% · 1,438
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,130
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 734
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boggs
Boggs appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,880
+58 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 9.45
Rank movement Down 106 places
2020
#1,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,542
-1,338 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 8.88
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,156 | 27,822 | 10.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,262 | 27,880 | 9.45 | +58 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 106 places |
| 2020 | #1,300 | 26,542 | 8.88 | -1,338 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 38 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Boggs surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,262 | #1,300 | -3.0% |
| Count | 27,880 | 26,542 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.45 | 8.88 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boggs bearers went from 27,880 to 26,542 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,262 to #1,300.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boggs
FAQ
Boggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boggs?
Name Census estimates that about 30,436 living Americans carry the surname Boggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,261 residents.
How common is Boggs?
Boggs ranks #1,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,542 people with the surname Boggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,436), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Boggs.
Has Boggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boggs went from 27,880 recorded bearers to 26,542. That is a decrease of 1,338 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,262 to #1,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Boggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (22,899 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Boggs (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Boggs mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a bog or swamp. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Boggs (8.88 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Boggs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.