Explore the Family Name Boss
The meaning of Boss
1. English (of Norman origin): from the Old French personal name Bos, from ancient Germanic Boso, based on the element bōs ‘bad, evil, wild, angry’. 2. English: nickname for a hunchback, from Middle English, Old French boce, bos ‘protuberance, swelling’ (compare Bossard 2). 3. German (also Böss): from a short form of the personal name Borkhart, a variant of Burkhart. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). 4. Possibly also an Americanized form of South German Bös (see Bos). 5. Danish: variant of Buus. 6. Americanized form of French Bourgeois.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Boss in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Boss has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the surname dropped from 3,809 in 2000 to 4,154 in 2010, marking a -9.06% change. The count of people with the surname also declined marginally by -0.21%, falling from 8,547 to 8,529. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Boss per 100,000 decreased by -8.83% to 2.89.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,809 | #4,154 | -9.06% |
| Count | 8,547 | 8,529 | -0.21% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.17 | 2.89 | -8.83% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Boss
As for ethnicity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority of people with the surname Boss identify as White, making up 86.69% of this group in 2010, down slightly from 86.98% in 2000. The largest increase in ethnicity was seen among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native, rising 56.52% to 0.72%. There was also a significant increase in those identifying as Hispanic, up 42.03% to 1.96%, and those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, up 30.95% to 0.55%. The number of those identifying as Black or with two or more races also rose, though at a lower rate.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.98% | 86.69% | -0.33% |
| Black | 9.45% | 8.44% | -10.69% |
| Hispanic | 1.38% | 1.96% | 42.03% |
| Two or More Races | 1.31% | 1.64% | 25.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.46% | 0.72% | 56.52% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.55% | 30.95% |
Boss ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Boss is British & Irish, which comprises 42.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (34.5%) and Eastern European (5.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 42.5% |
| French & German | 34.5% |
| Eastern European | 5.4% |
| Other | 17.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Boss
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Boss have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 81.30% |
What Boss haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Boss is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Noel, Croft, Schafer, Fletcher, Snell, Nash, Eagle, Nicholas, Knight, Hofmann.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Boss surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Boss have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Boss" Surname 49.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Boss" Surname 22.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Boss" Surname 17.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Boss" Surname 15.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Boss?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Boss are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition