Contents [hide]

Box History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Box History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Box

What does the name Box mean?

The origins of the Anglo-Saxon name Box come from its first bearer, who was a person with a jaundiced complexion. The Old English word box referred to a box-tree or box-wood, and in Old English use indicated a yellowish color. The surname Box may also refer to residence near a box-tree. The name may also indicate residence near the settlements of Box in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, or Box Hall in Hertfordshire.

Early Origins of the Box family

The surname Box was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Box, where there is an ancient Gothic church containing twelve bells, as well as a medicinal spring, the village also begins a railway tunnel one and three quarter miles long where the line proceeds to Bath. The name appears in the thirteenth century in the Rotunda Oblitus et Finibus.

Early History of the Box family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Box research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1568 and 1586 are included under the topic Early Box History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Box Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Box has been spelled many different ways, including Boxe, Box and others.

Early Notables of the Box family

Distinguished members of the family include

John de Box of Wiltshire

Box Ranking

In the United States, the name Box is the 2,775^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Box migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Boxs to arrive in North America:

Box Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anth Box, who arrived in Virginia in 1621-1629 2
John Box, aged 23, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Truelove" 2
Benjamin and John Box who settled in Virginia in 1623
Benj Box, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 2
Thomas, Box Jr., who arrived in Virginia in 1636 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Box Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Christina Box, who landed in America in 1725 2
Will and Mary Box with their two sons settled in Georgia in 1733
Mary Box, who arrived in Georgia in 1735 2
John Box, who settled in Georgia in 1774

Box Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Nelson Box, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2
John M Box, who landed in Texas in 1835 2
John, Box Jr., who arrived in New York in 1838 2
Reka Box, aged 47, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
S F Box, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Box Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anselmo Box, who arrived in Arkansas in 1906 2

Box migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Box Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Box, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. John Frederick Box, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Frederick Box, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 5
Hannah Box, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ascendant" in 1849 6
William Box, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harry Lorrequer" in 1849 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Box migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Box Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Box, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Aurora
Daniel Box, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
Thomas C. Box, aged 44, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
Sarah A. Box, aged 45, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
George Henry Box, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Box (post 1700) +

William Box, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 3rd District, 1893-94 8
W. J. Box, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Mississippi, 1932 (alternate), 1940, 1948 8
Richard A. Box, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1988; Presidential Elector for Texas, 1992 8
John Calvin Box (1871-1941), American Democratic Party politician, County Judge in Texas, 1898-1901; U.S. Representative from Texas 2nd District, 1919-31 8
Glenn Box, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Texas 5th District, 1996 8
E. O. Box, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1972 8
Charles E. Box, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Rockford, Illinois, 1989-2001; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996 8
George Edward Pelham Box (b. 1919), English influential and pioneering statistician
Margaret Gwendolyn Box (1943-2024), known as Margaret Lee, British actress who was a popular leading lady in Italian films in the 1960s and 1970s
Donald Stewart Box (1917-1993), Welsh stockbroker and Conservative Party politician
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Box family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Robert Aubrey Box (1922-1941), Australian Stoker 2nd Class from Newnham, Tasmania, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 9

Victoria steamboat disaster

Emma Jane Box, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ascendant.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARRY LORREQUER 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849HarryLorrequer.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp