2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Boxman
A surname deriving from an occupational name for a maker or seller of wooden boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Boxman. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boxman 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Boxman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxman, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boxman
The surname Boxman has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "boxen" and "mann," which translate to "box" and "man," respectively. This suggests that the original bearers of this name were likely involved in the trade or craft of box-making.
During the medieval period, the Boxman name was found in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include Boxmann, Boxeman, and Boxmannn, which reflect the variations in local dialects and scribal practices.
One of the earliest documented references to the Boxman name can be found in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a collection of legal documents and records from the 14th century. This record mentions a "Hans Boxmann," who was a prominent craftsman in the city of Heidelberg.
In the 16th century, the Boxman name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Boxman (1525-1592), a renowned Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. His works, including "Commentaries on the Book of Revelation" and "Treatise on the Lord's Supper," were widely read and influential during the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Boxman (1680-1742), a German composer and organist from Halle. He served as the court organist for the Duke of Saxe-Merseburg and composed numerous sacred works, including cantatas and organ pieces.
During the 18th century, the Boxman name was associated with several notable scholars and academics. One example is Johann Christian Boxman (1712-1787), a German philosopher and professor at the University of Halle, who published works on logic and metaphysics.
In the 19th century, the name Boxman was linked to several places in Germany, such as Boxmannsdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Boxmannshöhe, a hill in the Harz Mountains. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Boxman surname who lived or had some connection to those locations.
Throughout history, the Boxman name has been carried by various individuals across different professions and regions. Some notable examples include Gerhard Boxman (1890-1964), a German painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and portraits, and Friedrich Boxman (1932-2018), a German economist and professor at the University of Cologne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boxman
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxman, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Boxman 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 Boxman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boxman
Boxman 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-31 bearers (-22.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 35,409 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-22.3%) | Down 35,409 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Boxman 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boxman bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Boxman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boxman?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Boxman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Boxman?
Boxman ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Boxman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Boxman.
Has Boxman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boxman went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Boxman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxman, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Boxman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boxman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Boxman (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 Boxman mean?
A surname deriving from an occupational name for a maker or seller of wooden 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 Boxman (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 Boxman?
See how many people have the last name Boxman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.