Bosley
An English surname taken from Bosley, a place in Cheshire.
The #4,881 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,786 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bosley is a locational surname from Bosley in Cheshire. The name was used for someone who came from or lived near that place. The excerpted sources do not give a secure older meaning for the place-name itself, so the surname is best explained as “of Bosley” rather than by a deeper root.
History
The name is documented in Cheshire-linked records and was treated by 19th-century surname writers as a local name from the chapelry or parish of Bosley. It remained especially associated with Cheshire families in later local-history references. Outside England, it is comparatively uncommon and generally reflects later migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bosley is one of several Cheshire surnames that simply preserve the name of a small local parish or chapelry.
From the historical record
“BOSLEY. A parish in Cheshire. BOSS Probably local. De Boss. li.R. CO. Norfolk. BOSTOCK. A township in co. Chester. BOSTON. A town in co. Lincoln, and a hamlet in co. York. BOSVILLE. In the H.R. De Bosevil.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom