NameCensus.

UK surname

Bossom

A variant form of the surname Bossum, derived from a place name referring to a dwelling or farmstead.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Bossom surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Oxford City: St Thomas, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rother, Kensington and Chelsea and Hastings.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bossom is 214 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.3%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

1901

214 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bossom had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 214 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Bossom surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bossom surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bossom surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bossom over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 116 #15,545
1861 historical 86 #22,810
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 177 #16,330
1901 historical 214 #14,517
1911 historical 204 #14,784
1997 modern 173 #19,295
1998 modern 189 #18,737
1999 modern 187 #18,999
2000 modern 177 #19,634
2001 modern 175 #19,484
2002 modern 172 #20,108
2003 modern 175 #19,690
2004 modern 164 #20,609
2005 modern 164 #20,552
2006 modern 158 #21,229
2007 modern 161 #21,201
2008 modern 160 #21,521
2009 modern 160 #21,978
2010 modern 168 #21,733
2011 modern 169 #21,499
2012 modern 166 #21,683
2013 modern 169 #21,826
2014 modern 168 #22,075
2015 modern 167 #22,066
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Bossoms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Oxford City: St Thomas, London parishes, St Pancras, Warkworth and Oxford City: St Aldate, North Hinksey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rother, Kensington and Chelsea and Hastings. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Oxford City: St Thomas Oxfordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Warkworth Oxfordshire
5 Oxford City: St Aldate, North Hinksey Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rother 007 Rother
2 Kensington and Chelsea 012 Kensington and Chelsea
3 Kensington and Chelsea 007 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Hastings 007 Hastings
5 Rother 011 Rother

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bossom

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bossom surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bossom

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bossom, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Bossom surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Bossom household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bossom is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bossom is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bossom falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bossom is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bossom, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bossom

The surname Bossom is of English origin, derived from an Old English personal name "Bozsæ," which means "dweller by the bush" or "bush dweller." The earliest recorded use of this surname dates back to the late 11th century in parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

It is believed that the name Bossom was initially used to identify individuals who lived near or by a prominent bush or grove of trees. This could have been a descriptive name given to distinguish someone from others in the same village or town. The spelling variations of the name include Bossome, Bosson, Bosun, and Bozome.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are a few entries that may be related to the Bossom surname. For instance, a tenant named "Bozsa" is listed in the county of Nottinghamshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bossom surname is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a man named "Robert Bossome" is listed. Another notable mention is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1195, which reference a "William Bossam."

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bossom. One of the earliest was Sir John Bossom (c. 1350 - 1417), a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire during the reign of King Henry IV. Another was William Bossom (1672 - 1746), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Bradwell in Buckinghamshire.

In the 18th century, John Bossom (1720 - 1796) was a notable English painter and engraver, known for his landscapes and portraits. Later, in the 19th century, Alfred C. Bossom (1831 - 1897) was a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Masonic Hospital in London.

More recently, Sir Alfred Bossom (1881 - 1965) was a highly regarded British architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and planned communities in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bossom families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bossom surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Oxfordshire leads with 47 Bossoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 44.59x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 47 44.59x
Middlesex 30 1.76x
Gloucestershire 17 5.08x
Lancashire 14 0.69x
Northamptonshire 13 8.10x
Surrey 10 1.20x
Berkshire 9 7.02x
Lincolnshire 6 2.20x
Sussex 5 1.74x
Cheshire 4 1.06x
Durham 4 0.79x
Warwickshire 4 0.93x
Staffordshire 3 0.52x
Derbyshire 2 0.75x
Essex 2 0.59x
Kent 2 0.34x
Bedfordshire 1 1.13x
Royal Navy 1 4.92x
Worcestershire 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oxford St Thomas in Oxfordshire leads with 31 Bossoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 630.08x.

Place Total Index
Oxford St Thomas 31 630.08x
Bermondsey 8 15.74x
New Brentford 7 777.78x
Warkworth 7 486.11x
Gloucester St John Baptist 6 277.78x
Kensington London 6 6.32x
Kettering 6 92.45x
Stamford St Michael 6 779.22x
Wallingford Castle 6 60000.00x
Broughton In Salford 5 27.00x
Hastings St Andrew 5 485.44x
Islington London 5 3.02x
Oxford St Clement 5 187.97x
Ashton On Mersey 4 205.13x
Aston 4 3.37x
Cheltenham 4 15.49x
Gloucester St Catherine 4 425.53x
Layton With Warbreck 4 53.84x
South Shields 4 88.50x
St Pancras London 4 2.91x
Heaton Norris 3 26.02x
Oxford St Giles 3 59.64x
Reading St Giles 3 23.87x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 4.91x
Chartham 2 137.93x
Chiswick 2 21.44x
Goring 2 333.33x
Grays Thurrock 2 63.90x
Long Eaton 2 56.66x
Manchester 2 2.20x
Oxford St Michael 2 454.55x
St Luke London 2 7.30x
Westbury On Severn East 2 26.42x
Westminster St John 2 9.62x
Ampthill 1 75.76x
Caversham 1 47.39x
Ewell 1 56.82x
Headington 1 60.98x
Kidlington 1 121.95x
Lambeth 1 0.67x
Lower Mitton 1 51.02x
Mitcheldean 1 238.10x
Oxford St Aldate 1 90.09x
Paddington London 1 1.59x
Royal Navy 1 5.75x
St Martin In Fields 1 9.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bossom surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bossom surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 15
John 11
George 8
Thomas 8
James 6
Charles 5
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Henry 3
Jesse 2
Walter 2
Bertram 1
Edgar 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Gilbert 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Joseph 1
Percy 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Willm. 1
Wm.Jas. 1

FAQ

Bossom surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bossom surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Bossom surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bossom surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Bossom a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Bossom surname mean?

A variant form of the surname Bossum, derived from a place name referring to a dwelling or farmstead.

What does the Bossom map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bossom bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.