Boswell
Derived from a surname originally referring to someone residing at a small thicket.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Boswell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Boswell today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Boswell births was 1915 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Boswell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Boswell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1915
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#3,890
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Boswell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Boswell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Boswell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Boswell
The name Boswell is an English surname that has been used as a given name since the 17th century. It is derived from the Old English words "bosc" meaning bush or thicket, and "well" meaning a spring or stream.
The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a bush or thicket by a stream or well. The earliest recorded use of the name Boswell as a surname dates back to the 13th century in England.
One of the earliest and most famous bearers of the name Boswell was James Boswell (1740-1795), the Scottish biographer and diarist who is best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson. Boswell's detailed account of Johnson's life and conversations is considered one of the greatest biographies in the English language.
Another notable Boswell was Alexander Boswell (1775-1822), a Scottish song writer and poet who is remembered for his collection of Scottish folk songs and ballads. His work helped preserve and popularize traditional Scottish music.
In the 19th century, John Boswell (1804-1897) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut. He was also a prominent abolitionist and supported the Union cause during the American Civil War.
Robert Boswell (1573-1661) was an English actor and playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. He is known for his contributions to the development of early English comedy and for his role in the formation of the Drury Lane Theatre.
Finally, Peyton Boswell (1924-2012) was an American artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public works of art. His sculptures can be found in cities across the United States, including San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C.
People
Boswell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Boswell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Boswell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Boswell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Boswell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Boswell a common name?
We classify Boswell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Boswell most popular?
The single biggest year for Boswell was 1915, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Boswell is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Boswell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Boswell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Boswell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Boswell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Boswell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Boswell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Boswell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.