Contents [hide]

Boss History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Boss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Boss family

The surname Boss was first found in Cornwall where conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Gwarnock, held by the Sir de Beville from the Earl of Moron, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. 1

"The Bevills, sprung probably from the Norman [(William the Conqueror)] of Hastings, were seated in Cornwall. Matilda daughter and co-heir of John Bevill, Esq. of Gwarnock, married Sir Richard Granville, of Buckland, Marshal of Calais, temp. Henry VIII., and had a son, Sir Richard Granville, a famous sea captain in the time of Elizabeth, whose grandson was the renowned Sir Bevill Granville, one of the boldest and most successful of the Cavalier commanders. His last action was at Lansdown Hill, near Bath, and there he terminated his gallant career by an heroic death." 2

"On a barton called Polterworgie, [in the parish of St. Kew] was a seat of the Bevilles, although at present nothing but a farm house remains." 3

They were descended from Le Sire de Beville from Beuville near Caen in Normandy. 4 The Sire married a Gwarnack heiress.

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists William de Beevilla as holding lands in Suffolk at that time and Matthew de Beyvill witnessed a charter of Henry II. (Mon. ii. 247). Richard de Bevill was seneschal of the Archbishop of York, 1301. 5

In those days the name became widely influential and populated throughout southern England in Essex at Wykes priory, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire was known in eleven different counties undertook a variety of spellings.

Early History of the Boss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boss research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1075, 1165, 1179, 1286, 1301, 1316, 1317, 1348, 1350, 1381, 1390, 1430, 1432, 1434, 1480, 1487, 1510, 1511, 1517, 1533 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Boss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boss Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Boss are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Boss include Bevill, Beville, Bevile, Bevell, Bevel, Bevil, Beavil, Beavill, Beaville, Biville, Buiville, Buivill, Boiville, Boisville, Boville, Boyville, Belville, Bovile and many more.

Early Notables of the Boss family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard de Bevill who became seneschal to the Archbishop of York in 1301. One lineage includes: Sir Richard de Welles Bevill (c. 1286-1316); Robert de...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boss Ranking

In the United States, the name Boss is the 3,714^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Boss is ranked the 9,034^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 7

Boss migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Boss, or a variant listed above:

Boss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Boss, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 8
John Boss, who landed in Virginia in 1706 8
Johannes Boss, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 8
Frans Joseph Boss, aged 21, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 8
Andreas Boss, who arrived in Long Island in 1781
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. BOSS, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 8
Christopher Frederick Boss, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 8
Theodore Boss, aged 35, who arrived in Missouri in 1845 8
A. P. Boss, who arrived in San Francisco in 1851
A P Boss, who landed in Sari Francisco, California in 1851 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boss Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Boss, aged 16, who settled in America from Baden, in 1901
Alice Boss, aged 0, who immigrated to America from England, in 1902
Alexander Boss, aged 39, who landed in America from London, in 1903
Barbara Boss, aged 18, who settled in America, in 1908
Albert Boss, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Boss migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boss Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Andrew Boss, who landed in Canada in 1820

Boss Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Annie Boss, who settled in Canada, in 1912

Boss migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Boss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Newcomb Boss, (b. 1795), aged 24, English convict who was convicted in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
George Boss, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Constance" 10
Joseph Boss, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Constance" 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Boss (post 1700) +

Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (1982-2022), American freestyle hip hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality, co host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Harold Francis Boss (b. 1903), American life insurance executive
Lewis Boss (1846-1912), American astronomer
Jeffrey Boss (b. 1963), American politician, Candidate for President of the United States, 2008 (Independent), 2012 (NSA Did 9/11); Candidate in Democratic primary for Governor of New Jersey, 2009 11
Henry Manchester Boss Jr. (1875-1960), American Republican politician, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, 1926, 1929-34; Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, 1934 11
George A. Boss, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1964 11
Ferdinand Boss, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Jeffersontown, Kentucky, 1882-85, 1889-93 11
Eugene S. Boss, American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 17th District, 1882-83 11
Elizabeth H. S. Boss, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Laurel, Maryland, 1934-44 (acting, 1934) 11
David B. Boss, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hunterdon County, 1864-65 11
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Constance.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html