Box
Usually a locational surname, originally for someone from Box in Wiltshire or a place marked by box trees.
The #3,538 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,575 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Box is most commonly explained as a habitational surname from Box in Wiltshire, England. The place-name itself is usually taken to refer either to the box tree or to a spot where box trees grew. In some records the surname is also linked to other local places called Box, and in older spelling it could branch into related forms such as Boxall or Boxell.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval English sources and later appears in several regional forms. Lower specifically connects Box to Box in Wiltshire, while Bardsley also treats it as a local name from a parish in Wiltshire and notes a possible origin from residence near box trees. Some related surnames, such as Boxall and Boxell, were later associated with places in Sussex, showing how the name could develop differently in different counties.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower notes that Box in Wiltshire became especially well known in modern times for its long railway tunnel.
From the historical record
“London. BOX. A place in co. Wilts, remarkable in modern times for its long railway tunnel. BOXALL, BOXELL. This name is clearly traced to Boxhulle, an ancient manor in Salehurst, co. Sussex, among whose lords was Alan de B., one of the earliest Knights of the Garter. Li this same county the name has been queerly…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom