2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boseck
An occupational surname derived from the German word for bosehacker, referring to one who cleared woodland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Boseck. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boseck 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Boseck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boseck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boseck
The surname Boseck is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "bos," meaning "bush" or "thicket," and the suffix "-eck," denoting a location or place. This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive term for an individual who lived near or in a bushy or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boseck appears in the records of Saxony, a region in modern-day eastern Germany, dating back to the late 1400s. During this period, surnames were becoming more widespread, often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographical locations.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Boseck surname was Johann Boseck, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1503 to 1573. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement.
Another historically prominent individual with the surname Boseck was Friedrich Boseck, a German military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. Born in 1783, he fought in several pivotal battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, and rose to the rank of General before his death in 1854.
The name Boseck has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For example, the village of Boseck in the state of Saxony-Anhalt likely contributed to the surname's regional origins. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Bosek or Bosecke, have been documented throughout the centuries.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Boseck, a German painter and artist, gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits. Born in 1824, his works were exhibited in various galleries across Germany, and he is considered a notable figure in the Romantic movement of the time.
Finally, a more contemporary figure bearing the Boseck surname was Manfred Boseck, a German lawyer and politician who lived from 1924 to 2010. He served as a member of the Bundestag, the German parliament, representing the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1969 to 1990.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boseck
Among Census respondents with the surname Boseck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Boseck 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 Boseck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 113
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boseck
Boseck 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,190 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,190 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 5,966 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 Boseck 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 | #138,304 | #144,270 | -4.3% |
| Count | 121 | 117 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boseck bearers went from 121 to 117 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 5,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #144,270.
FAQ
Boseck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boseck?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Boseck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Boseck?
Boseck ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Boseck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boseck.
Has Boseck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boseck went from 121 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Boseck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boseck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Boseck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boseck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Boseck (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 Boseck mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for bosehacker, referring to one who cleared woodland. 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 Boseck (0.04 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 are called Boseck?
Find out how many people have the surname Boseck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.