Bowden
A masculine given name from an English surname derived from place names.
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the first name Bowden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bowden today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bowden births was 2024 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bowden. 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
572
~ 1 in 599,221 Americans
Peak year
2024
51 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,595
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Bowden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bowden from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 245 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
Bowden 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 Bowden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bowdens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bowden
The name Bowden is of English origin and is believed to have originated as a surname derived from a place name. It is thought to have originated from the Old English words "bog" meaning "a bend" and "denu" meaning "a valley." Thus, the name Bowden likely referred to someone who lived in a valley with a bend or curve.
In terms of its use as a given name, the earliest recorded instances date back to the late 16th century. One of the earliest known individuals with the name Bowden was Sir John Bowden, an English politician who lived from 1551 to 1616. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I.
Another notable figure with the name Bowden was Samuel Bowden, an English clergyman and author who lived from 1600 to 1676. He was a Puritan minister and wrote several religious works, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
In the 18th century, Bowden Penrose was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1741 and played a role in several notable naval battles against the French and Spanish.
Moving into the 19th century, Bowden Kerfoot was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire in the 1860s. He was born in 1838 and was considered one of the best bowlers of his time.
Another significant figure with the name Bowden was Frank Bowden, an English businessman and inventor who lived from 1848 to 1921. He founded the Bowden Wire Company and is credited with developing the Bowden cable, which was widely used in early automotive and aircraft control systems.
While the name Bowden may not be as common today, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, religious figures, military personnel, sportsmen, and inventors.
People
Bowden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bowden 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
Bowden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bowden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 572 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bowden 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 599,221 US residents.
Is Bowden a common name?
We classify Bowden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 577 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bowden most popular?
The single biggest year for Bowden was 2024, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bowden is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bowden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bowden 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.
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.