2000
#4,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,898
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Bosley
Derived from a place name meaning "Bosel's clearing" in Old English, referring to a person from that location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,853 Americans carry the last name Bosley. That puts it at #4,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bosley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bosley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,646
Census rank
#4,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,848 bearers of the surname Bosley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bosley
The surname Bosley is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Bosley, a village in the county of Cheshire, England. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "bor" meaning "a dwelling" and "leah" meaning "a clearing in a wood."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bosley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from the year 1199, where a person named Richard de Bosledon is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "Bosledon," reflects the evolution of the name from the original place name.
The Bosley surname also appears in the Cartulary of Dieulacres Abbey, a medieval monastic record from Staffordshire, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.
Interestingly, the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England, does not contain any direct references to the surname Bosley or its variants. However, it does mention the village of Bosley itself, indicating the existence of the place name from which the surname later derived.
One notable historical figure with the surname Bosley was Sir John Bosley (c. 1465-1536), a member of the English gentry and a servant to King Henry VIII. He held the position of Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and was involved in various royal commissions during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual was Richard Bosley (1564-1624), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1619 until his death. He was known for his involvement in religious controversies of the time and his opposition to Puritanism.
In the realm of literature, Elizabeth Bosley (1720-1786) was a British poet and playwright who gained recognition for her works, including the tragedy "Calista" and the poem "The Discontented Solitary."
Moving to more recent times, Tom Bosley (1927-2010) was an American actor best known for his role as Howard Cunningham on the popular sitcom "Happy Days." He had a long and successful career in television and theater, earning numerous accolades for his performances.
Lastly, John Bosley (1944-2010) was a British actor and director who made significant contributions to the theater scene in London. He co-founded the renowned Hampstead Theatre Company and directed productions for various esteemed theater companies throughout his career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bosley
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bosley 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 Bosley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 5,356
- Black or African American13.1% · 897
- Two or more races4.6% · 313
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bosley
Bosley 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
#4,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,216
+318 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#4,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,848
-368 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,698 | 6,898 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,881 | 7,216 | 2.45 | +318 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #4,969 | 6,848 | 2.29 | -368 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 88 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 Bosley 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 | #4,881 | #4,969 | -1.8% |
| Count | 7,216 | 6,848 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.45 | 2.29 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bosley bearers went from 7,216 to 6,848 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,881 to #4,969.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bosley
FAQ
Bosley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bosley?
Name Census estimates that about 7,853 living Americans carry the surname Bosley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,646 residents.
How common is Bosley?
Bosley ranks #4,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,848 people with the surname Bosley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bosley.
Has Bosley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bosley went from 7,216 recorded bearers to 6,848. That is a decrease of 368 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,881 to #4,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Bosley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bosley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (5,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bosley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Bosley (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 Bosley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Bosel's clearing" in Old English, referring to a person from that location. 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 Bosley (2.29 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 people have the surname Bosley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.