NameCensus.

UK surname

Boston

A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from the town of Boston, England.

In the 1881 census there were 1,368 people recorded with the Boston surname, ranking it #2,999 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,691, ranked #3,697, down from #2,999 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kings Norton, London parishes and Tweedmouth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockton-on-Tees, Fenland and Central Bedfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boston is 1,812 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.6%.

1881 census count

1,368

Ranked #2,999

Modern count

1,691

2016, ranked #3,697

Peak year

1999

1,812 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boston had 1,368 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,999 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,691 in 2016, ranked #3,697.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,770 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boston 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 940 #2,951
1861 historical 1,010 #2,766
1881 historical 1,368 #2,999
1891 historical 1,450 #3,022
1901 historical 1,646 #3,132
1911 historical 1,770 #2,772
1997 modern 1,737 #3,434
1998 modern 1,790 #3,461
1999 modern 1,812 #3,453
2000 modern 1,769 #3,521
2001 modern 1,759 #3,462
2002 modern 1,807 #3,437
2003 modern 1,730 #3,525
2004 modern 1,728 #3,519
2005 modern 1,704 #3,536
2006 modern 1,693 #3,559
2007 modern 1,694 #3,582
2008 modern 1,704 #3,593
2009 modern 1,728 #3,612
2010 modern 1,738 #3,669
2011 modern 1,712 #3,676
2012 modern 1,675 #3,695
2013 modern 1,718 #3,669
2014 modern 1,728 #3,672
2015 modern 1,702 #3,680
2016 modern 1,691 #3,697

Geography

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Where Bostons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kings Norton, London parishes, Tweedmouth, St Mary Islington and Luton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockton-on-Tees, Fenland and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Kings Norton Worcestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Tweedmouth Northumberland
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Luton Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockton-on-Tees 009 Stockton-on-Tees
2 Stockton-on-Tees 008 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Fenland 004 Fenland
4 Stockton-on-Tees 010 Stockton-on-Tees
5 Central Bedfordshire 003 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boston

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Boston, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Boston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Boston 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Boston is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boston 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

Boston falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Boston is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Boston

The surname Boston originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the city of Boston in Lincolnshire, which itself takes its name from the River Witham, formerly known as the Botten or Bothen, meaning "the deep tidal river."

One of the earliest known references to the surname Boston appears in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where a person named Robert de Boston is mentioned. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts, including the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1347, which mentions a Thomas de Boston.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname Boston appeared in various spellings, such as Bostone, Bostoun, and Bostun, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include John Boston (c. 1330-1400), a prominent merchant and alderman of Boston, Lincolnshire, and William Boston (c. 1425-1490), a Member of Parliament for the same town.

As the name spread across England, it also became associated with other place names containing the word "Boston," such as Boston in Cambridgeshire and Boston in Norfolk. One of the earliest recorded instances of this is Thomas Boston (1676-1732), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian, who was born in Duns, Berwickshire, but whose family likely originated from the Boston area in England.

Another notable figure with the surname Boston was Thomas Boston (1713-1767), an English clergyman and author who published several works on religious and philosophical topics. He was born in Hertfordshire and was a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence in the United States, where individuals such as John Boston (1797-1859), a prominent abolitionist and educator from Maryland, and Sarah Boston (1823-1891), a pioneering African American educator and activist from New York, made significant contributions to their respective fields.

While the surname Boston has its roots in England, it has since spread across the world, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various spheres of life throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Boston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boston 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. Middlesex leads with 216 Bostons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.61x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 216 1.61x
Yorkshire 153 1.15x
Bedfordshire 100 14.43x
Cheshire 99 3.35x
Staffordshire 98 2.17x
Warwickshire 90 2.67x
Lancashire 84 0.53x
Surrey 83 1.27x
Worcestershire 50 2.86x
Northumberland 46 2.31x
Kent 40 0.88x
Durham 36 0.90x
Northamptonshire 30 2.38x
Suffolk 24 1.47x
Lanarkshire 22 0.51x
Hertfordshire 19 2.06x
Norfolk 19 0.92x
Derbyshire 17 0.81x
Leicestershire 17 1.15x
Cambridgeshire 9 1.06x
Essex 9 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 9 0.50x
Sussex 9 0.40x
Monmouthshire 8 0.83x
Selkirkshire 8 6.61x
Midlothian 7 0.39x
Renfrewshire 7 0.67x
Shropshire 7 0.61x
Angus 6 0.48x
Devon 6 0.22x
Perthshire 6 1.00x
Berkshire 5 0.50x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.62x
Lincolnshire 5 0.23x
Roxburghshire 5 2.06x
Huntingdonshire 3 1.13x
Gloucestershire 2 0.08x
Hampshire 2 0.07x
Royal Navy 2 1.25x
Ayrshire 1 0.10x
Cumberland 1 0.09x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.34x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.28x
Flintshire 1 0.28x
Glamorgan 1 0.04x
Isle of Man 1 0.40x
Oxfordshire 1 0.12x
Rutland 1 1.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Luton in Bedfordshire leads with 35 Bostons recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.17x.

Place Total Index
Luton 35 29.17x
Islington London 29 2.24x
St Pancras London 29 2.69x
Bethnal Green London 28 4.82x
Stoke Upon Trent 28 5.84x
Birmingham 27 2.40x
Kings Norton 19 12.12x
Leeds 19 2.54x
Mile End Old Town London 19 6.67x
Tweedmouth 19 76.52x
Hackney London 18 2.40x
Lambeth 18 1.54x
Aston 17 1.83x
Yardley 16 35.78x
York St Mary 16 29.13x
Coventry Holy Trinity 13 12.90x
Kensington London 13 1.75x
Audley 12 26.85x
Lewisham 12 4.93x
Salford 12 2.57x
Haslington 11 132.37x
South Milford 11 227.27x
Congleton 10 19.59x
Macclesfield 10 7.62x
Manchester 10 1.40x
Norwich St John Timberhill 10 180.83x
Richmond 10 10.94x
Shoreditch London 10 1.72x
Stapeley 10 362.32x
Bromley London 9 3.06x
Camberwell 9 1.05x
Croydon 9 2.49x
Darlington 9 5.85x
Govan 9 0.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 9 5.22x
Idle 9 14.64x
Ipswich St Margaret 9 16.27x
Kempston 9 57.22x
Kingswinford 9 5.49x
Lichfield St Chad 9 88.58x
Pickering 9 53.89x
Tottenham 9 4.22x
Toxteth Park 9 1.67x
Wilshampstead 9 238.73x
Woolwich 9 5.33x
Yoxall 9 151.01x
Battersea 8 1.62x
Bedford St Cuthbert 8 130.08x
Bedford St Peter 8 44.44x
Biddulph 8 31.38x
Kirkhope 8 318.73x
Newport 8 17.33x
Pavenham 8 400.00x
Bishopwearmouth 7 2.05x
Blackfordby 7 147.68x
Great Driffield 7 25.72x
Leicester St Margaret 7 1.93x
Leigh 7 32.99x
Little Houghton 7 300.43x
Northallerton 7 41.35x
Seghill 7 71.72x
Wakefield 7 6.88x
Warmingham 7 476.19x
Deptford St Paul 6 1.70x
Foleshill 6 16.90x
Hastings St Mary 6 10.68x
Hornsey 6 3.55x
Hurdsfield 6 33.00x
Knowle 6 86.46x
Monks Coppenhall 6 5.38x
Nantwich 6 17.48x
Northampton St Sepulchre 6 9.37x
Northfield 6 18.09x
Rickmansworth 6 23.62x
Southwark St Saviour 6 8.72x
St Paul Covent Garden 6 44.81x
Thirsk 6 39.22x
West Derby 6 1.29x
Whittington 6 20.70x
Wisbech St Mary 6 61.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 86
John 74
James 53
George 48
Thomas 46
Henry 37
Joseph 29
Charles 28
Robert 17
Samuel 17
Frederick 16
Alfred 14
Arthur 14
Francis 14
Walter 13
Richard 11
Edward 8
Ernest 8
David 7
Harry 7
Frank 6
Albert 5
Edmund 5
Edwin 5
Herbert 5
Thos. 5
Fredrick 4
Harold 4
Enoch 3
Fredk. 3
Horace 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Dionisius 2
Jabez 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Peter 2
Phillip 2
Sidney 2
Stephen 2
Anthony 1
Brymer 1
Cecil 1
Edgar 1
Edwd. 1
Elijah 1
Isaac 1
Wm.J. 1

FAQ

Boston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,368 people were recorded with the Boston surname. That placed it at #2,999 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,691 in 2016. That gives Boston a modern rank of #3,697.

What does the Boston surname mean?

A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from the town of Boston, England.

What does the Boston map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Boston 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.