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This is an English locational surname. It originates from the town of Boston, in the county of Lincolnshire, an area famous for the number of settlers which it contributed to the establishment of the colonies of New England from about the year 1607. The famous "Pilgrim Fathers" in their ship Mayflower, sailed from Boston via Plymouth in Devon, before making their epic voyage in 1620. The place name is first recorded in the year 1130 in the spelling of Botulestan, although the precise meaning is uncertain. One theory is that it describes "the stone church of St Botulf", although it seems that the saint was buried elsewhere. The surname is locational. This means that it describes a former inhabitant of the place who moved elsewhere, probably in medieval times. At the time it was the custom to identify strangers by the name of the place from whence they came. This often lead to the development of "sounds" like" spellings, and this is the case with this name in ancient times.
Boston Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century
- Henry Boston settled in Virginia in 1643
- Elizabeth Boston, who landed in Virginia in 1656
- Margarett Boston, who arrived in Virginia in 1657
- Henry Boston Jr., who landed in Maryland in 1663
Boston Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century
- Joseph Boston, who landed in Virginia in 1701
- Joseph Boston settled in Maryland in 1728
- Thomas Boston settled in Maryland in 1731
- Samuel Boston, who landed in America in 1760-1763
Boston Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
- Christian Boston, who arrived in Charleston, SC in 1800
- Bart Boston, landed in New York in 1812
- Mark Boston, arrived in New York in 1812
- W W Boston, who arrived in San Francisco, CA in 1850