2000
#1,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,927
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.13
Uncommon Last name
Boswell
From a place name meaning "Bosse's spring or stream," derived from the Old English personal name "Bosse" combined with "well."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,467 Americans carry the last name Boswell. That puts it at #1,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,009 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boswell 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 Boswell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,009
Census rank
#1,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,336 bearers of the surname Boswell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boswell
The surname Boswell is of Scottish origin, originating from the lands of Bosseville or Bosville in Berwickshire, Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bos" meaning a dwelling or house, and "vill" meaning a farm or village, essentially translating to "farm dwelling."
The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with records indicating that a family bearing the name resided in the lands of Bosseville during that period. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, including a "Walter de Bosevill."
In the 13th century, the spelling of the name varied, with forms such as "Bosvile," "Bosewell," and "Boswell" being used. The Boswell family eventually established themselves as landowners and played a significant role in the history of the Scottish Borders region.
One notable member of the Boswell family was Sir Alexander Boswell (1775-1822), a Scottish song collector and editor who published a collection of Scottish ballads and songs. Another prominent figure was James Boswell (1740-1795), a Scottish biographer and diarist best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson, titled "The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.," published in 1791.
The Boswells also had a presence in England, with Sir William Boswell (1504-1592) serving as the English ambassador to the Netherlands and later as the Secretary of State under Queen Elizabeth I. Another member of the family, Sir William Boswell (1578-1650), was a Member of Parliament and a supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Boswell surname was in 1635 when Thomas Boswell settled in Virginia. The name also appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the late 17th century.
Throughout history, the Boswell surname has been associated with various professions, including writers, politicians, military leaders, and landowners. While the name originated in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, though its roots can be traced back to the ancient lands of Bosseville in the Scottish Borders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boswell
Among Census respondents with the surname Boswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boswell 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 Boswell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 15,859
- Black or African American15.4% · 3,290
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,040
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 742
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 269
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 136
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boswell
Boswell 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
#1,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,540
+613 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 7.64
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#1,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,336
-1,204 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 7.14
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,493 | 21,927 | 8.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,591 | 22,540 | 7.64 | +613 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #1,635 | 21,336 | 7.14 | -1,204 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 44 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 Boswell 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 | #1,591 | #1,635 | -2.8% |
| Count | 22,540 | 21,336 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.64 | 7.14 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boswell bearers went from 22,540 to 21,336 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,591 to #1,635.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boswell
FAQ
Boswell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boswell?
Name Census estimates that about 24,467 living Americans carry the surname Boswell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,009 residents.
How common is Boswell?
Boswell ranks #1,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,336 people with the surname Boswell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Boswell.
Has Boswell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boswell went from 22,540 recorded bearers to 21,336. That is a decrease of 1,204 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,591 to #1,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Boswell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Boswell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (15,859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boswell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Boswell (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 Boswell mean?
From a place name meaning "Bosse's spring or stream," derived from the Old English personal name "Bosse" combined with "well." 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 Boswell (7.14 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 share the surname Boswell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.