Find out how popular the last name Boatwright is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Boatwright.

Boatwright, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Boatwright surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boatwright in America

Boatwright is the 4790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boatwright surname appeared 7,379 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Boatwright.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boatwright to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Boatwright

The surname Boatwright is an occupational name that originated in England during the medieval period. It derived from the Old English words "bat" meaning boat and "wyrhta" meaning worker or maker, referring to a person who built or repaired boats for a living.

This surname first appeared in records from the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Richard le Batwyrhte in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273. The name was also found in various forms such as Batewright, Batewyght, and Botewright during this time.

In the 14th century, the name Boatwright appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1348, where a John Botewright was mentioned. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 also recorded a Thomas Batewright.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Boatwright, who was born around 1520 in Harwich, Essex, England. He worked as a shipwright and was involved in the construction of several vessels for the English navy.

Another notable figure was William Boatwright, born in 1625 in Whitby, Yorkshire. He was a successful merchant and shipowner who played a role in the expansion of English trade in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Boatwright family established themselves in Virginia, United States, with the arrival of John Boatwright in 1735. He settled in Henrico County and became a prominent landowner.

One of the most famous individuals with this surname was John Thomas Boatwright (1835-1918), an influential Baptist minister and educator from Virginia. He served as the president of Richmond College (now the University of Richmond) from 1888 to 1899.

Another notable figure was Charles Boatwright (1849-1935), a Confederate veteran and lawyer from Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and played a significant role in the state's political affairs during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the 20th century, Fredric Huntington Boatwright (1868-1951), an American educator and historian, made significant contributions to the field of education. He served as the president of the University of Richmond from 1899 to 1946, leading the institution through a period of growth and development.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boatwright

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Boatwright.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Boatwright was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Boatwright has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Boatwright was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Boatwright, please contact us.

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