Explore the Family Name Boston
The meaning of Boston
1. English: habitational name from the place so named in Lincolnshire, which means ‘Bōtwulf’s stone’ (from the Old English personal name Bōtwulf + Old English stān ‘stone’). This has been considered to refer to Saint Botulf, and to be the site of the monastery that he built in the 7th century, but it is more likely that the Bōtwulf of the placename was an ordinary landowner, and that the association with the saint was a later development because of the name. 2. Americanized form of German Basten or Bastian or of some other similar (like-sounding) surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Boston in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Boston has seen a slight fluctuation in its popularity over the years. In 2000, Boston was ranked 2223 in terms of prevalence among surnames, with approximately 15,003 individuals bearing the name. A decade later, the rank had slightly slipped to 2309, but the count of people bearing this surname rose to 15,814, marking a 5.41% increase. However, when considering proportion per 100,000 people, the name saw a minor decrease of 3.6%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,223 | #2,309 | -3.87% |
| Count | 15,003 | 15,814 | 5.41% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.56 | 5.36 | -3.6% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Boston
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Boston has also shifted somewhat between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname Boston identified as White (54.80%) or Black (40.72%). By 2010, while these two groups still made up the majority, their percentages had changed slightly, with 52.66% identifying as White and 40.86% as Black. Other ethnicities such as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic experienced growth over the decade, with increases of 6.12% and 56.86% respectively. The percentage of those reporting Two or more races also saw a significant rise from 1.63% to 2.78%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 4.82%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 54.8% | 52.66% | -3.91% |
| Black | 40.72% | 40.86% | 0.34% |
| Two or More Races | 1.63% | 2.78% | 70.55% |
| Hispanic | 1.53% | 2.4% | 56.86% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.83% | 0.79% | -4.82% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.49% | 0.52% | 6.12% |
Boston 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 Boston is British & Irish, which comprises 45.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.8%) and Nigerian (5.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 45.3% |
| French & German | 21.8% |
| Nigerian | 5.5% |
| Other | 27.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Boston
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 Boston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 73.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 73.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 73.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 73.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 72.90% |
What Boston 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 Boston is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and E-P252, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wynn, Gaines, Byrd, Crosby, O'Neal, Gary, Powell, Sexton, Sanderson, Keyes.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Boston surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Boston 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.
"Boston" Surname 41.8%
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.
"Boston" Surname 20.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Boston" Surname 19.5%
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.
"Boston" Surname 20.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Boston?
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 Boston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition