2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boxton
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from Buckston, Norfolk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Boxton. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boxton 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Boxton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boxton
The surname Boxton has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "box" meaning a type of tree, and "tun" meaning a settlement or enclosure, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a box tree plantation or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Walter de Boxstone as a landowner in the county. This spelling variation indicates that the name may have also been influenced by the addition of the Old English word "stan" meaning stone or rock.
In the 14th century, the Boxton name appears in various manorial records and tax rolls across southern and central England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region before spreading to other parts of the country.
Interestingly, the name Boxton is closely tied to the village of Boxton in Wiltshire, which was once known as Boxstone or Boxtown. It is possible that the surname may have derived from this specific place name, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
One notable bearer of the Boxton name was Sir William Boxton, a 15th-century knight and landowner from Oxfordshire. He was mentioned in several legal documents and charters from the reign of Henry VI, demonstrating the family's prominence during this period.
In the 16th century, the Boxton surname can be found in various parish records and wills, including those of John Boxton (1523-1589), a prosperous merchant from London, and Alice Boxton (1547-1621), a landowner in Berkshire.
Other notable individuals with the Boxton surname include Robert Boxton (1632-1704), a Puritan minister and author from Gloucestershire, and Thomas Boxton (1675-1752), a wealthy businessman and philanthropist from Oxfordshire, who donated funds for the construction of several churches and schools in the region.
While the Boxton name may have originated from humble beginnings, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, from knights and landowners to merchants and clergymen, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have carried this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boxton
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Boxton 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 Boxton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.8% · 83
- White15.8% · 18
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boxton
Boxton 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,444 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,444 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Boxton 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boxton bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Boxton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boxton?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Boxton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Boxton?
Boxton ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Boxton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Boxton.
Has Boxton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boxton went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Boxton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boxton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boxton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boxton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.8%), White (15.8%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Boxton (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 Boxton mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from Buckston, Norfolk. 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 Boxton (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 share the surname Boxton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.