2000
#8,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,609
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Boos
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked in the woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,858 Americans carry the last name Boos. That puts it at #9,284 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boos 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
3.9K
1 in 88,842
Census rank
#9,284
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,364 bearers of the surname Boos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9284th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boos, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boos
The surname BOOS is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old High German word "buose," which means "farm" or "dwelling place." This indicates that the earliest bearers of the name were likely farmers or landowners.
The earliest recorded instances of the name BOOS can be found in various German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Johann Boos in a land registry from the town of Mainz, dated 1327.
During the Medieval period, the name BOOS was predominantly found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, particularly in rural areas where farming was a significant part of the local economy. As families began to adopt hereditary surnames, the name BOOS became associated with specific lineages and villages.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name BOOS was Hans Boos (1530-1598), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, which included religious themes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another famous individual with the surname BOOS was Johann Baptist Boos (1753-1825), a German Roman Catholic priest and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Enlightenment movement and authored several influential works on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name BOOS appeared in various German-speaking regions, including Austria and Switzerland. One noteworthy bearer of the name was Carl August Boos (1825-1903), a German chemist and industrialist who made significant contributions to the development of the chemical industry.
As people migrated from German-speaking regions to other parts of the world, the surname BOOS spread to various countries. For instance, in the United States, one notable figure was Martin Boos (1762-1825), a German-born American entrepreneur and co-founder of the town of Boonesborough, Kentucky.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Boos (1828-1897), a German-born American brewer and businessman who established the Boos Brothers Brewing Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the surname BOOS has been associated with various occupations, including farming, art, religion, science, and business. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse journeys and achievements of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boos
Among Census respondents with the surname Boos, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boos 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 Boos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,106
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 101
- Two or more races2.7% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boos
Boos 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
#9,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,562
-47 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 754 places
2020
#9,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,364
-198 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,410 | 3,609 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,164 | 3,562 | 1.21 | -47 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 754 places |
| 2020 | #9,284 | 3,364 | 1.13 | -198 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 120 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 Boos 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 | #9,164 | #9,284 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,562 | 3,364 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.13 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boos bearers went from 3,562 to 3,364 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,164 to #9,284.
FAQ
Boos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boos?
Name Census estimates that about 3,858 living Americans carry the surname Boos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,842 residents.
How common is Boos?
Boos ranks #9,284 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,364 people with the surname Boos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Boos.
Has Boos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boos went from 3,562 recorded bearers to 3,364. That is a decrease of 198 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,164 to #9,284.
What does the Census say about the background of Boos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boos, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Boos (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 Boos mean?
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked in the woods. 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 Boos (1.13 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 common is the surname Boos?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Boos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.