BOASE
The surname Boase is principally associated with England, and particularly with the county of Cornwall, where it first appears in the eighteenth century. Historical records identify several individuals bearing the name who were connected with the banking establishment in Penzance and who are listed in the Dictionary of National Biography between 1763 and 1897. The earliest documented spelling is that of Henry Boase, a partner in the Penzance Union Bank during the reign of King George IV (1820‑1830).
The etymology of the surname has been examined from several angles. One explanation links Boase to the Old English word bās or bāse, meaning “bass” or “low”. This derivation suggests that the surname may have originally been a nickname for a person with a low or deep voice, or for one who lived in a low‑lying area. Contemporary variants of the spelling reported in the historical record include Boas, Boose and Boaze.
Another perspective connects Boase to the Hebrew male personal name Boaz. The name appears in the Old Testament as the name of Ruth's kinsman and later husband, and was occasionally adopted by Christians in Britain. This usage is considered a possible source for the surname, especially in Cornwall where the name was recorded in the eighteenth century.
Local linguistic studies of Cornwall also propose that Boase derives from the Old Cornish word boas or boase, which translates as “dwelling” or “house”. In that context, the surname may have been used for individuals who lived in, managed, or were otherwise associated with a notable house, estate or manor, or for a steward or other servant of such a residence. The name is also considered by some scholars to have roots in Old Norse, from the word bolstad meaning “ farmstead or settlement”, a term that entered Britain with Viking settlers in the north and west.
Heraldic evidence associated with the Boase name includes a coat of arms bearing five bezants, or gold coins, on a red engrailed chevron. The presence of bezants is traditionally interpreted as a reference to connections with money, trade or banking, which aligns with the documented financial activities of Boase family members in Penzance during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Boase surname
Male
- Andrew
- Darrell
- David
- Edward
- James
- John
- Luke
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Paul
- Richard
- Simon
- Stuart
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Anna
- Anne
- Beverley
- Catherine
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Tessa
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Boase in...
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There are approximately 339 people named Boase in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Boase.
Famous people named Boase
- T. S. R. Boase - Art historian (1898 to 1974)
- George Clement Boase - Bibliographer and antiquary (1829 to 1897)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.