Bowan
A variant spelling of the masculine Irish name Baoán meaning "fair-haired".
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the first name Bowan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bowan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bowan births was 2024 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bowan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
110
~ 1 in 3,115,949 Americans
Peak year
2024
15 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,922
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Bowan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bowan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 51 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bowan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bowan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bowan
The name Bowan is thought to have originated from the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken by the Celts, a collection of tribes who inhabited parts of Europe, including the British Isles, during the Iron Age. While the exact origin and meaning of the name are unclear, some scholars believe it may be derived from the Celtic word "bou," meaning "to swell" or "to bulge," potentially referring to a physical characteristic or perhaps a personality trait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bowan can be found in an ancient Welsh manuscript from the 9th century, where it appears as a personal name. This suggests that the name has been in use for over a thousand years, although its popularity and usage may have fluctuated throughout different regions and time periods.
In terms of historical figures bearing the name Bowan, there are a few notable mentions. Bowan ap Cadell (c. 1050-1112) was a Welsh prince and warrior who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Welsh and the Norman invaders in the late 11th century. Another notable figure is Bowan of Powys (c. 1175-1240), a Welsh nobleman and landowner who held significant influence in the region during the 13th century.
Moving forward in time, we encounter Bowan Macgregor (c. 1570-1623), a Scottish clan chief and military leader who fought against the English during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the early 17th century. In the literary realm, there is Bowan Taliesin (1789-1857), a Welsh poet and writer who was part of the Romantic movement and contributed significantly to the preservation of Welsh literature and culture.
Lastly, Bowan Murdoch (1853-1924) was a Scottish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automobiles and internal combustion engines. He is credited with several notable patents and innovations in the field of automotive engineering.
While the name Bowan may not be as widespread or well-known as some other names, its long history and connections to various cultures and historical figures make it a fascinating and unique moniker with a rich tapestry of associations and meanings.
People
Bowan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bowan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bowan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bowan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 110 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bowan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,115,949 US residents.
Is Bowan a common name?
We classify Bowan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 111 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bowan most popular?
The single biggest year for Bowan was 2024, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bowan is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bowan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bowan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bowan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bowan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bowan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bowan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Bowan?
See how many people share the name Bowan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.