Zowie
An invented name meant to express surprise or amazement.
Name Census estimates that about 794 living Americans carry the first name Zowie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Zowie today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zowie births was 2003 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zowie. 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
794
~ 1 in 431,681 Americans
Peak year
2003
65 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,651
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Zowie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zowie from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 443 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zowie 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 Zowie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Zowies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Zowie, while Illinois, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Zowie
The name Zowie is believed to have its origins in the English language, emerging in the late 19th century as an exclamation of surprise or excitement. It was likely derived from the earlier slang term "zounds," which was a minced oath or euphemism for "God's wounds," commonly used in the 16th and 17th centuries.
While the name Zowie is not directly linked to any particular cultural or linguistic roots, it gained popularity as a given name during the 20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries. Its playful and unique sound appealed to parents seeking a distinctive and unconventional name for their children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Zowie as a given name can be found in the birth records of Zowie Bowie, born in 1971. She was the daughter of renowned musician David Bowie and his wife Angie Bowie. David Bowie reportedly chose the name as a nod to the cosmic and avant-garde elements of his artistic persona.
Another notable figure with the name Zowie was Zowie Broach, an American actress and model born in 1983. She appeared in various television shows and films throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including the popular sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
In the literary world, Zowie Norris was a character in the novel "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen, published in 2001. The character's name added a touch of whimsy and eccentricity to the narrative.
Beyond these examples, the name Zowie has been relatively uncommon throughout history, often chosen for its distinctiveness and flair. While it may not have deep cultural or linguistic roots, its unique sound and connotations of excitement and surprise have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
It is worth noting that while the name Zowie has been used across various contexts, it has remained a relatively rare and unconventional choice, adding to its individuality and charm for those seeking a truly distinctive name for their children.
People
Zowie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zowie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zowie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zowie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 794 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zowie 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 431,681 US residents.
Is Zowie a common name?
We classify Zowie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 806 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zowie most popular?
The single biggest year for Zowie was 2003, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zowie is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Zowie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zowie in the SSA data are female. 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.