2000
#3,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Box
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of boxes or a person who lived near a box tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,999 Americans carry the last name Box. That puts it at #3,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Box 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 Box with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,162
Census rank
#3,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,592 bearers of the surname Box in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Box, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Box
The surname Box originates from England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "box," which referred to a small container or receptacle made of wood or metal. The name may have initially been a occupational surname, given to those who made or sold boxes.
The name Box can be found in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "le Boxmakere" in Oxfordshire. This early reference suggests that the name was associated with the box-making trade at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname Box appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where it was recorded as "Boxe." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Box was John Box, who was born around 1470 in Somersetshire, England. He was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Bishop of Hereford from 1535 until his death in 1537.
Another notable figure with the surname Box was Ralph Box, a 16th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Dunwich, Suffolk, in 1588.
In the 17th century, the name Box was associated with various place names in England, such as Boxley in Kent and Boxford in Berkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
Thomas Box, born in 1609 in Wiltshire, was a prominent figure during the English Civil War. He served as a captain in the Parliamentarian forces and played a role in the siege of Taunton in 1645.
Mary Box, born in 1753 in Gloucestershire, was a notable philanthropist and activist who advocated for the education of women and the abolition of slavery. She founded several schools and supported various charitable causes during her lifetime.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Box continued to be found in various parts of England, with notable individuals such as William Box (1779-1869), a successful businessman and landowner from Somersetshire, and Emily Box (1819-1890), a Victorian-era author and poet from Gloucestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Box
Among Census respondents with the surname Box, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Box 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 Box surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 7,677
- Black or African American10.3% · 984
- Two or more races4.1% · 392
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 374
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Box
Box 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
#3,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,098
-222 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#3,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,592
-506 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.21
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,190 | 10,320 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,538 | 10,098 | 3.42 | -222 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #3,616 | 9,592 | 3.21 | -506 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 78 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 Box 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 | #3,538 | #3,616 | -2.2% |
| Count | 10,098 | 9,592 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.42 | 3.21 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Box bearers went from 10,098 to 9,592 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,538 to #3,616.
FAQ
Box surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Box?
Name Census estimates that about 10,999 living Americans carry the surname Box. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,162 residents.
How common is Box?
Box ranks #3,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,592 people with the surname Box. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Box.
Has Box become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Box went from 10,098 recorded bearers to 9,592. That is a decrease of 506 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,538 to #3,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Box?
Among Census respondents with the surname Box, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Box in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (7,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Box appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Box (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 Box mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of boxes or a person who lived near a box tree. 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 Box (3.21 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 have the last name Box?
Want to know how common the surname Box is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.