Boothe
A spelling variant of Booth, originally a local name for someone who lived near a booth, hut, or temporary shelter.
The #4,100 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,668 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Boothe is a spelling variant of Booth. The surname comes from Middle English boþe/booth, meaning a hut, booth, shed, or small temporary dwelling, a word ultimately related to Scandinavian forms and used in northern England for rural shelters. In some cases it was a topographic name for someone who lived by such a structure; in others it became a locational surname from places named Booth or Booths.
History
The form appears early in records with spellings such as de la Boothe, showing its use as a place-based surname in medieval England. Bardsley and Lower both connect the name especially with Lancashire and Cheshire, where the Booth family was established by the 13th century. The surname later spread more widely in Britain and overseas, while the spelling Boothe remained a relatively minor variant of Booth.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same word behind Booth also lies behind many English place-names and can refer to a simple shelter rather than a formal house.
From the historical record
“London, 3, 1 ; PhiUdclphia, i, 3. Booths Boothe.— Local, 'at the booth,* a hut, a cottage; M.E. botAe. The will of Thomas del Booth (1368), dwelling at Barton, near Manchester, is printed in Baines* Lancashire (edited by”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)