2000
#6,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.95
Rare Last name
Bosworth
A locational surname referring to any of several places in England meaning "Bosa's enclosure" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,823 Americans carry the last name Bosworth. That puts it at #6,438 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bosworth 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 Bosworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,862
Census rank
#6,438
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,078 bearers of the surname Bosworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6438th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bosworth
The surname Bosworth has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bos" and "worth," meaning "a farm or enclosure where cattle were kept." This suggests that the name originally referred to a location or settlement where cattle farming was a significant activity.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bosworth can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Boseworth" and "Boseuurde," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Bosworth was Richard de Bosworth, who was mentioned in records from Leicestershire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was John Bosworth (1789-1876), an English philologist and Anglo-Saxon scholar known for his seminal work, "A Dictionary of the Anglo-Saxon Language."
The name Bosworth is also closely associated with the historic Battle of Bosworth Field, which took place in 1485 and marked the end of the Wars of the Roses. This battle was fought near the village of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, and the name Bosworth itself is derived from the Old English "Boseworth," meaning "Bosa's enclosure or farm."
Other notable individuals with the surname Bosworth include Joseph Bosworth (1789-1876), an English clergyman and Anglo-Saxon scholar; Newton Bosworth (1805-1856), an American inventor and manufacturer; and Brian Bosworth (born 1965), a former American football player and actor.
Throughout history, the surname Bosworth has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Bosworth Field, Bosworth Hall, and Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, all of which are located in Leicestershire, England. The name has also been spelled in various ways, including Bosworthe, Boswurth, and Boseworth, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bosworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bosworth 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 Bosworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 4,531
- Two or more races3.8% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 178
- Black or African American2.3% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bosworth
Bosworth 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
#6,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,260
-12 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#6,438
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,078
-182 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,010 | 5,272 | 1.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,454 | 5,260 | 1.78 | -12 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #6,438 | 5,078 | 1.70 | -182 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 16 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 Bosworth 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 | #6,454 | #6,438 | 0.2% |
| Count | 5,260 | 5,078 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.70 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bosworth bearers went from 5,260 to 5,078 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,454 to #6,438.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bosworth
FAQ
Bosworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bosworth?
Name Census estimates that about 5,823 living Americans carry the surname Bosworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,862 residents.
How common is Bosworth?
Bosworth ranks #6,438 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 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 5,078 people with the surname Bosworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 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 Bosworth.
Has Bosworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bosworth went from 5,260 recorded bearers to 5,078. That is a decrease of 182 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,454 to #6,438.
What does the Census say about the background of Bosworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bosworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bosworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (4,531 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bosworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bosworth (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 Bosworth mean?
A locational surname referring to any of several places in England meaning "Bosa's enclosure" in Old English. 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 Bosworth (1.70 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 Americans have the surname Bosworth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.