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

Boutwell, 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 Boutwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boutwell in America

Boutwell is the 7182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boutwell surname appeared 4,654 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Boutwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boutwell 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 Boutwell

The surname BOUTWELL has its origins in England, likely originating in the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Boutwell or Boutewell. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "but" and "well," referring to a well or spring near a dwelling or boundary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BOUTWELL name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Boutewelle." This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the early 14th century. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1376, which mention a "William de Boutewelle."

The BOUTWELL name has been present in various historical records throughout the centuries. In the Hearth Tax Rolls of Durham from 1666, a "John Boutwell" is listed. The Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which recorded those who took an oath of allegiance to the Crown, include several individuals with the BOUTWELL surname in counties such as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Prominent individuals with the BOUTWELL surname include Sir John Boutwell (c. 1570-1626), an English judge and politician who served as Recorder of Doncaster and represented Gatton in Parliament. Another notable figure was Ralph Boutwell (1604-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Cork and Ross in Ireland.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the BOUTWELL name is Samuel Boutwell (1612-1686), who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. George S. Boutwell (1818-1905) was an American statesman who served as the 20th Governor of Massachusetts and the 28th United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Other notable individuals with the BOUTWELL surname include James T. Boutwell (1901-1987), an American historian and author, and Robert P. Boutwell (1926-2008), a professor of psychiatry and the founding director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Division of Bioethics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boutwell

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

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

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

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