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

Boothby, 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 Boothby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boothby in America

Boothby is the 17406th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boothby surname appeared 1,621 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Boothby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boothby 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 Boothby

The surname Boothby is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Boothby, which refers to several locations in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "both" meaning a dwelling or hut, and "by" meaning a village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Boothby can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bodebi" in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Botheby," "Boddeby," and "Bodeby," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that period. One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Boothby (c. 1260-1329), who served as a knight and landowner in Lincolnshire.

By the 14th century, the spelling of the name had become more standardized as "Boothby." Records from this time period include entries for individuals such as Roger Boothby (c. 1320-1390), a wealthy merchant from Leicestershire, and John Boothby (c. 1380-1445), a clergyman and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Boothby family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire. One notable figure from this period was Sir William Boothby (1609-1677), a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.

Another distinguished bearer of the name was Sir Brooke Boothby (1744-1824), a poet and philosopher who was a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time. He is perhaps best known for his work "Observations on the Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs," which was a response to Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France."

In the 19th century, the Boothby family continued to maintain their status as part of the landed gentry. One notable figure was Sir William Boothby (1809-1898), a Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including East Lincolnshire and South Lincolnshire.

Overall, the surname Boothby has a long and rich history in England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire. Its origins can be traced back to the 12th century, and it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, merchants, clergymen, poets, and politicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boothby

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

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 Boothby 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 Boothby 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 Boothby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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