The Boggs surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 27,880 people carried this name — #1,262 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,600 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (27,822).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Boggs surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the bog’.

His entry covers Bogg and Boggs.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 116 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

60 families named Boggs, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 330 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 23
Virginia 16
New York 6
South Carolina 6
Maine 5
North Carolina 3
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 230 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Boggs in American newspapers,
1903–1909.

Newspaper page from The Bossier Banner carrying the name Boggs
The Bossier Banner 1903-09-17
Newspaper page from The Bossier Banner carrying the name Boggs
The Bossier Banner 1903-09-24
Newspaper page from The Tupelo Journal carrying the name Boggs
The Tupelo Journal 1909-01-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 124,407 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Boggs in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

2,678 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Boggs. The most, 461, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,296
Queensland 687
Victoria 429
South Australia 120
Western Australia 72
ACT (Canberra) 37
Tasmania 30

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Boggs.

Who carried it

People named Boggs,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Boggs
    James Boggs 1740–1830 · surgeon
  • Lilburn Boggs
    Lilburn Boggs 1796–1860 · politician
  • Charles S. Boggs
    Charles S. Boggs 1811–1888 · military officer
  • Charles S. Boggs
    Charles S. Boggs 1811–1877 · military officer
  • William R. Boggs
    William R. Boggs 1829–1911 · engineer
  • Ezekiel Boggs 1707–1756

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Boggs,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,547 records

1,547 records of the Boggs name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 969
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 274
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 176
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 35
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 30
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 28
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 17
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clifford E. Boggs

    Born 1919 in Iowa. Enlisted 1941 at Fairfield; driver from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Keokuk National Cemetery, Iowa.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Paschal Glenn Boggs

    Born 1936; from East Point, Georgia. U.S. Marine Corps; killed in action 1967 in North Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mine Boggs

    Arrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Canada from Havre, aged 26; painter. From France; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,547 records for Boggs in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada121 records

121 records of the Boggs name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 110
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Boggs

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Prussian, bound for Collingwood, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bertha Maude Boggs

    Buried in 1975 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 79.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mildred Boggs

    Died 1966 in Kentville, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 121 records for Boggs in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia31 records

31 records of the Boggs name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 15
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 7
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Boggs

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Princess Victoria, arriving 1834; certificate of freedom 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Boggs

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Schomberg, aged 17; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Samuel Boggs

    Plumber of Ireland; died 1958.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Boggs in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France7 records

7 records of the Boggs name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Brigitte Stephane Boggs

    Born 1942 in Lille (Nord); died 1999 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Marie Boggs

    Born 1894 in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime); died 1985 in Créteil (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Simonne Marie Henriette Boggs

    Born 1917 in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime); died 1980 in Porcieu-Amblagnieu (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Boggs in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Boggs name in New Zealand
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hamilton Boggs

    Died 1923, aged 33; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record J. Boggs

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Boggs.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Boggs is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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