2000
#6,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Bostwick
A habitational surname derived from places in England meaning "dwelling place by a forest clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,852 Americans carry the last name Bostwick. That puts it at #7,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,642 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bostwick 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 Bostwick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,642
Census rank
#7,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,231 bearers of the surname Bostwick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bostwick
The surname Bostwick has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "bosc" meaning bush or thicket, and "wic" meaning a dwelling or farm. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a bushy or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1197, where a William de Bosco is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the name Bostwick.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a collection of legal records. A certain Ranulph de Bostewyk is mentioned in these records from 1272. This spelling variation highlights the potential connection between the name and a specific place name.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Bostwick. However, it does list several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Bosco in Wiltshire and Bosewrthe in Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Bostwick was Sir John Bostwick, who lived in the 14th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in 1348 and 1352.
Another notable figure was Sir Roger Bostwick (1460-1530), who was a prominent landowner and served as Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1516.
In the 16th century, the Bostwick family established themselves in Cheshire, where they owned the manor of Bostwick. Arthur Bostwick (1560-1647) was a member of this branch of the family and served as Sheriff of Cheshire in 1620.
During the English Civil War, Sir John Bostwick (1592-1668) was a staunch Royalist and fought for King Charles I. He was knighted for his service in 1642.
In the 18th century, Reverend John Bostwick (1725-1805) was a notable figure. He was a Church of England clergyman who served as the rector of Sittingbourne in Kent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bostwick
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bostwick 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 Bostwick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 3,616
- Two or more races4.7% · 199
- Black or African American3.9% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bostwick
Bostwick 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
#7,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,502
+26 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 478 places
2020
#7,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,231
-271 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,915 | 4,476 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,393 | 4,502 | 1.53 | +26 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 478 places |
| 2020 | #7,571 | 4,231 | 1.42 | -271 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 178 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 Bostwick 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 | #7,393 | #7,571 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,502 | 4,231 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.42 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bostwick bearers went from 4,502 to 4,231 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,393 to #7,571.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bostwick
FAQ
Bostwick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bostwick?
Name Census estimates that about 4,852 living Americans carry the surname Bostwick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,642 residents.
How common is Bostwick?
Bostwick ranks #7,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,231 people with the surname Bostwick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bostwick.
Has Bostwick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bostwick went from 4,502 recorded bearers to 4,231. That is a decrease of 271 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,393 to #7,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Bostwick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bostwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Bostwick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (3,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bostwick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Black (3.9%). 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 Bostwick (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 Bostwick mean?
A habitational surname derived from places in England meaning "dwelling place by a forest clearing." 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 Bostwick (1.42 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 Bostwick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.