Bower
One who constructs arbors, bowers, or temporary shelters.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Bower. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bower today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bower births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bower. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bower. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#4,370
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Bower: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bower 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 Bower during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bower
The name Bower originated in Old English and Old German, deriving from the word "bur" or "bower", which referred to a dwelling or shelter. It was often used to describe a small, cozy chamber or room within a larger structure, such as a castle or manor house.
Historically, the name Bower was associated with individuals who lived or worked in such chambers or dwellings. In medieval times, it may have referred to servants or attendants responsible for maintaining and overseeing these living quarters.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Bower dates back to the 13th century, appearing in various charters and legal documents from England and Germany. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name were employed in noble households or monasteries, where they tended to the private living spaces.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Bower (c. 1385-1463) was a Scottish churchman and the last Abbot of the Augustinian monastery at Inchcolm Abbey, located in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. He is remembered for his chronicle, known as the "Scotichronicon", which documented the history of Scotland up until the reign of King James I.
Another prominent individual with the name Bower was Archibald Bower (1686-1766), an Scottish author and historian who converted from Catholicism to Protestantism. He is best known for his work "The History of the Popes", which was a critical examination of the papacy and its influence throughout history.
In the 19th century, Walter Bower (1792-1882) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera Arcade and the Beaufort House in Chelsea.
Additionally, Henry Bower (1808-1883) was an English artist and illustrator renowned for his intricate engravings and illustrations for literary works, such as Shakespeare's plays and works by Charles Dickens.
While not as common as some other names, Bower has maintained a presence throughout history, often associated with individuals involved in various crafts, trades, or creative pursuits related to dwellings, architecture, or the arts.
People
Bower + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bower 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
Bower: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bower?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bower 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 - US residents.
Is Bower a common name?
We classify Bower as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bower most popular?
The single biggest year for Bower was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bower is about 0 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 Bower in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bower a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bower 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 Bower still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bower 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 Bower 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 people have Bower as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Bower on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.