Boswell
A surname of Norman origin, probably from a French place-name such as Bosville, later reshaped in English spelling.
The #1,591 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,698 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Boswell is generally explained as a Norman locational surname, originally written in forms such as De Bosevil or Bosville. The second element is the Old French place-name ending -ville, meaning an estate or settlement; the first element is less certain, but the name points to a Norman local origin rather than an English word. In English use, the spelling shifted from Bosville/Bosevil to Boswell, a common kind of adaptation of French -ville names.
History
The name is associated with Norman families in England from the medieval period, and one source says the family were in England by 1266. Lower notes that bearers later migrated from England to Scotland in the reign of David I. The surname became established in Britain in several spellings, with Boswell the standard modern form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower specifically compares Boswell to other surnames where French -ville endings were Anglicized into -well, such as Roswell and Fretwell.
From the historical record
“from the period of the Conquest. BOSWELL. Originally De Bosevil, (H.E.) — of Norman extraction. They migrated from England to Scotland in the reign of David I. Tlie change from A'ille to Well as a termination is also seen in the alteration of Rosse^^lle to Roswell, La ■N^lle to Larwell or Larwill, Frcche^ille to…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom