2000
#7,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Boden
Derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "valley" in Old English, or from a German habitational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,745 Americans carry the last name Boden. That puts it at #7,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boden 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 Boden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,235
Census rank
#7,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,138 bearers of the surname Boden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boden
The surname Boden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "boden," meaning a dwelling or a residence. The name first appeared in regions like Derbyshire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, where it was used to identify individuals who lived in a particular dwelling or settlement.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bodeham," referring to a place name in Cheshire. This suggests that the name was initially used as a locational surname, indicating the place of origin or residence of the bearer.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "de Boden" and "de Bodene." This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spelling was not yet established.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Boden was William de Boden, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Derbyshire in 1330. Another notable bearer of the name was John Boden, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York, who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name was found in various areas of England, including Lancashire, where the Boden family held estates in the township of Burnley. One notable member of this family was Richard Boden (1554-1624), a wealthy landowner and Justice of the Peace.
The name Boden has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. For example, Andrew Boden (1645-1701) was a prominent English physician and author, known for his work on medical topics. Another individual of note was James Boden (1758-1841), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
Other notable individuals with the surname Boden include:
1. John Boden (1815-1892), an English architect and surveyor.
2. Daniel Boden (1830-1903), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
3. Frank Boden (1879-1960), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
4. Herbert Boden (1887-1952), a British artist and painter known for his landscape and coastal scenes.
5. Michael Boden (born 1923), a British philosopher and cognitive scientist, known for her work on artificial intelligence and creativity.
While the surname Boden has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "boden," reflecting the connection between the name and the concept of a dwelling or residence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boden
Among Census respondents with the surname Boden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Boden 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 Boden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 3,737
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 135
- Two or more races2.9% · 121
- Black or African American2.3% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boden
Boden 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
#7,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,445
+312 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#7,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,138
-307 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,430 | 4,133 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,494 | 4,445 | 1.51 | +312 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #7,713 | 4,138 | 1.38 | -307 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 219 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 Boden 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 | #7,494 | #7,713 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,445 | 4,138 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.38 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boden bearers went from 4,445 to 4,138 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,494 to #7,713.
FAQ
Boden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boden?
Name Census estimates that about 4,745 living Americans carry the surname Boden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,235 residents.
How common is Boden?
Boden ranks #7,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,138 people with the surname Boden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Boden.
Has Boden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boden went from 4,445 recorded bearers to 4,138. That is a decrease of 307 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,494 to #7,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Boden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Boden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (3,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Boden (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 Boden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "valley" in Old English, or from a German habitational name. 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 Boden (1.38 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 Boden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.