Boss Family History

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Boss Name Meaning

English: nickname for a hunchback, from Old French bossu ‘hunchbacked’ (a derivative of bosse ‘lump’, ‘hump’; compare Bossard 2). German: from a short form of the personal name Borkhardt, a variant of Burkhart. Possibly an altered spelling of South German Bös (see Bos). Danish: medieval variant of Buus, a surname of uncertain origin, perhaps from German busemen ‘devil’, ‘ghost’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Bosse, Buss, Ross, Bos, Oss, Koss, Foss, Bost, Bess, Bass

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Boss Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Boss name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Boss. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    45%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    17%

  • Germanic Europe

    12%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    4%

  • France

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Boss Family Origin

Where is the Boss family from?

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You can see how Boss families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Boss family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Boss families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 112 Boss families living in London. This was about 27% of all the recorded Boss's in the UK. London had the highest population of Boss families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Boss surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Boss

Boss Family Occupations

What did your Boss ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Boss family was Carpenter & Joiner. The most common Boss occupation in the UK was Basket Maker. 7% of Boss's were Basket Makers. Basket Maker, Carpenter and Annuitant were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Boss.

View Census data for Boss | Data not to scale

  • Basket Maker

    7%

  • Carpenter

    5%

  • Annuitant

    3%

  • Carpenter & Joiner

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Boss ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Boss Historical Records

What Boss family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 75,000 census records available for the last name Boss. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Boss census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Boss

Passenger List

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Boss. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 16,000 military records available for the last name Boss. For the veterans among your Boss ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Boss military records

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Boss Life Expectancy

What is the average Boss lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Boss life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1952, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Boss in 1944 was 62, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Boss

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Boss ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Boss Family Ancestors

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