The Bosworth surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,260 people carried this name — #6,454 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 56,200 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (5,272).

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What the name means

The meaning of the Bosworth surname

From Old English boswurþ (“cattle enclosure”), from *bōs (attested in derivative bōsih, bōsiġ, bōsg (“cattle-stall”)) + wurþ, weorþ, worþ (“an enclosed place”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bosworth» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

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

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 120 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Bosworth was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Bedfordshire: 12 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 833. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Bedfordshire 12
Leicestershire and Rutland 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

79 families named Bosworth, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 469 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

Massachusetts 39
Rhode Island 15
Connecticut 9
New York 8
Maine 3
New Hampshire 3
Vermont 1
North Carolina 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

Bosworth in American newspapers,
1893–1916.

Newspaper page from Cottonwood Report carrying the name Bosworth
Cottonwood Report 1893-04-07
Newspaper page from The Citizen carrying the name Bosworth
The Citizen 1911-10-26
Newspaper page from Americus Times-recorder carrying the name Bosworth
Americus Times-recorder 1916-08-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 75,647 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Bosworth in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

10,558 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Bosworth. The most, 2,156, date from the 1880s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 3.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 5,330
New South Wales 1,939
Queensland 1,053
Western Australia 743
Tasmania 689
Victoria 681
ACT (Canberra) 110
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named Bosworth,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Sala Bosworth
    Sala Bosworth 1805–1890 · illustrator
  • Sophia Constance Bosworth d. 1927
  • Frances Dawes Bosworth d. 1998
  • Roger Bosworth 1607–1660 · politician
  • David Bosworth 1669–1747
  • Private Salah Bosworth, Senior 1764–1823

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 Bosworth,
in the records of 6 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 States598 records

598 records of the Bosworth name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 219
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 133
  • Other U.S. records 246
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Raymond Paul Bosworth

    Born 1945; from San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Army, air observation pilot; died in an accident 1968 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lawrence P. Bosworth

    Born 1907 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Richmond, Virginia; salesman from Windsor County, Vermont. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Memphis National Cemetery, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (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 Mary Bosworth

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the A. Lawrence from Liverpool, aged 40; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 598 records for Bosworth in the United States.

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

Australia322 records

322 records of the Bosworth name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 169
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 89
  • Other Australian records 64
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Benjamin Bosworth

    Died 1923 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1923.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann Bosworth

    Born 1850 in Morven, Tasmania. Married 1870 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Joseph Bosworth

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Earl Grey, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1842.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 322 records for Bosworth in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

United Kingdom13 records

13 records of the Bosworth name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 11
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Bosworth

    Buried in 1831 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 63.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Bosworth

    Suffolk Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Bosworth

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 30.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Bosworth in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada10 records

10 records of the Bosworth name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Bosworth

    Buried in 1981 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 66.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Bosworth

    Died 1870 in Main-A-Dieu, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Thomas Alleyne Bosworth

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Bosworth in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Bosworth name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Olive Mary Bosworth

    Died 1970, aged 87; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Louisa Bosworth

    Died 1936, aged 77; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bertram Gordon Bosworth

    Died 1965, aged 74; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Bosworth name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record George Bosworth

    Born 1855 in Gouda.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Midden-Holland (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Bosworth.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Bosworth 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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