2000
#6,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Boggess
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of leather bags or pouches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,307 Americans carry the last name Boggess. That puts it at #6,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boggess 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.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,585
Census rank
#6,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,628 bearers of the surname Boggess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggess, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boggess
The surname Boggess is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bog" and "hæs," meaning "dweller by the bog." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a marshy or swampy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which mentions a John del Bogges. This spelling variation, "del Bogges," further supports the theory that the name is linked to a specific geographic location or feature.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records with different spellings, such as "Boggis" and "Bogges." This was common during that time, as spelling conventions were not yet standardized.
Notably, the Boggess surname is associated with the village of Chetwynd in Shropshire, England. The village's name is derived from the Old English words "cet" and "wind," meaning "winding wood." This connection suggests that some early bearers of the Boggess name may have originated from or lived in this area.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Boggess surname was William Boggess, who was born in Chetwynd, Shropshire, in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was John Boggess, a landowner from the same village, who lived during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Boggess family spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Staffordshire and Warwickshire. During this time, the spelling of the surname began to stabilize as "Boggess."
One prominent individual with the Boggess surname was Thomas Boggess, a merchant from London, who lived from 1620 to 1685. He was involved in the lucrative trade with the East Indies and became a respected figure in the City of London.
Another notable Boggess was Elizabeth Boggess, born in 1670 in Warwickshire. She was known for her literary works and was a member of the informal literary circle that included the renowned writer and philosopher, Mary Astell.
In the 18th century, the Boggess family continued to thrive, with members holding various professions, including clergymen, landowners, and tradesmen. One such individual was Reverend John Boggess, born in 1725 in Staffordshire, who served as a parish priest in several rural communities.
As the centuries passed, the Boggess surname spread beyond England, with families migrating to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its English origins and the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boggess
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggess, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Boggess 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 Boggess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 4,027
- Black or African American4.6% · 214
- Two or more races4.0% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boggess
Boggess 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
#7,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,684
+25 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 456 places
2020
#6,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,628
-56 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,684 | 4,659 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,140 | 4,684 | 1.59 | +25 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 456 places |
| 2020 | #6,998 | 4,628 | 1.55 | -56 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 142 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 Boggess 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 | #7,140 | #6,998 | 2.0% |
| Count | 4,684 | 4,628 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.55 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boggess bearers went from 4,684 to 4,628 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,140 to #6,998.
FAQ
Boggess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boggess?
Name Census estimates that about 5,307 living Americans carry the surname Boggess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,585 residents.
How common is Boggess?
Boggess ranks #6,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,628 people with the surname Boggess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Boggess.
Has Boggess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boggess went from 4,684 recorded bearers to 4,628. That is a decrease of 56 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,140 to #6,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Boggess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boggess, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Boggess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (4,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boggess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Boggess (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 Boggess mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of leather bags or pouches. 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 Boggess (1.55 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 Boggess?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.