2000
#23,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,031
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Boxer
An occupational surname derived from the trade of making or selling boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,191 Americans carry the last name Boxer. That puts it at #24,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 287,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boxer 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 Boxer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 287,787
Census rank
#24,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,039 bearers of the surname Boxer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxer, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boxer
The surname Boxer is of English origin, dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "box," which referred to a tree or shrub, specifically the boxwood tree. The name likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a prominent boxwood tree or grove.
In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as "Boxter" and "Boxere" in medieval records from the 13th and 14th centuries. These early spellings reflect the Old English pronunciation and the influence of Norman French scribes who documented names at the time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Boxer can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a William Boxere from Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1334 also mention a John Boxer from Nottinghamshire.
The Boxer surname is closely tied to several place names in England, such as Boxford in Berkshire and Boxley in Kent. These locations likely took their names from the abundance of boxwood trees in the area, and the Boxer surname may have originated from these or similar places.
Notable individuals with the Boxer surname include William Boxer (c. 1500-1570), an English merchant and explorer who made voyages to the West Indies and South America in the mid-16th century. Another notable figure was Edward Boxer (1784-1855), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the literary world, Charles Ralph Boxer (1904-2000) was a renowned historian and author who specialized in the Portuguese Empire and maritime history. His seminal work, "The Portuguese Seaborne Empire," published in 1969, is considered a classic in the field.
Other notable Boxers include Mary Boxer (1935-2022), a British author and journalist, and Sarah Boxer (born 1958), an American journalist and critic who has worked for publications such as The New York Times and The Atlantic.
Throughout its history, the Boxer surname has maintained its connection to its English roots and the symbolic boxwood tree, reflecting the rich tapestry of place names, occupations, and individuals who have carried this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boxer
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxer, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Boxer 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 Boxer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 882
- Black or African American4.3% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 38
- Two or more races3.6% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boxer
Boxer 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
#25,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 954
-77 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 2,682 places
2020
#24,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,039
+85 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 812 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,128 | 1,031 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,810 | 954 | 0.32 | -77 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 2,682 places |
| 2020 | #24,998 | 1,039 | 0.35 | +85 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 812 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 Boxer 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 | #25,810 | #24,998 | 3.1% |
| Count | 954 | 1,039 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.32 | 0.35 | 8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boxer bearers went from 954 to 1,039 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 812 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,810 to #24,998.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boxer
FAQ
Boxer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boxer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,191 living Americans carry the surname Boxer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 287,787 residents.
How common is Boxer?
Boxer ranks #24,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,039 people with the surname Boxer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Boxer.
Has Boxer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boxer went from 954 recorded bearers to 1,039. That is an increase of 85 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,810 to #24,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Boxer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxer, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Boxer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boxer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Boxer (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 Boxer mean?
An occupational surname derived from the trade of making or selling boxes. 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 Boxer (0.35 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 share the surname Boxer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.