| ![Show Contents]() Boast History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Boast is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Boast is derived from the Old French word "bois," which means "wood," and indicates that the original bearer lived near a wooded area, such as a forest. 1 Early Origins of the Boast familyThe surname Boast was first found in various parts of Scotland including Hugo Delboys who witnessed a confirmation charter by Hugh, Bishop of St. Andrews c. 1185-1188 according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. A few years later, Richard del Bois witnessed a confirmation charter of fishery in Torduf between 1194 and 1211. 2 About the same time, Walterus de Bosco witnessed a charter by Robert the Bruce c. 1190. Robert Boys was listed in Dumfriesshire c. 1259. Willelmus de Bosch or de Bosco, cancellarius domini regis, appears frequently as witness in the chartularies of Soltre, Glasgow, Kelso, Brechin, and Arnbroath between 1189-1222. Gaufridus de Bosco, Humphrey de Bosco, and Thomas de Bosco appear as charter witnesses between 1215-1245. Robert Boys is recorded in Dumfriesshire, c. 1259. 2 The Scottish branch of this ancient Norman family likely moved north from England to their first place of landing and settlement after the Conquest, as many of the earliest records of the family in Scotland were almost 100 years later. By example, Robert de Bois held estates in Buckinghamshire in 1086. The De Bois-Herbert family were barons of Halberton, Devon c. 1050.3 "Sir Humphrey de Bois, of Dryfesdale, who was slain at Lochmaben in 1333, is supposed by Dalrymple to have been the ancestor of Hector Boece, the historian." 4 Early History of the Boast familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boast research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1150, 1296, 1413, 1465, 1536, 1543, 1594, 1719 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Boast History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Boast Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Boyce, Boyes, Boze, Bois, Boise, Boice, Boas, Bost, Bust, Boast, Boost and many more. Early Notables of the Boast familyNotable among the family at this time was - John Boste or Boaste (1543?-1594), was and English Catholic priest, "born of a good family at Dufton, in Westmorland, in or about 1543, and educated at Oxford. He was imprisoned in the Tower, where he...
 Migration of the Boast family to Ireland
Some of the Boast family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Boast migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Boast Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- William Boast, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
Boast Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Dirkje Den Boast, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 5
- Heintje Den Boast, who arrived in Iowa in 1855 5
- Jan Den Boast, who landed in Iowa in 1855 5
| Boast migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Boast Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Cornealus Boast, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Francis Boast and his wife and five children settled in Nova Scotia in 1774
| Boast migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Boast Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
| Contemporary Notables of the name Boast (post 1700) | + |
- Robin Boast (b. 1956), English Deputy Director and Curator for World Archaeology at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- 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)
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
- 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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
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Boast migration to the United States 
Boast migration to Canada 
Boast migration to Australia 
Scotland
Ireland
England
