Find out how popular the last name Bowden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bowden.

Bowden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bowden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bowden in America

Bowden is the 1450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bowden surname appeared 24,560 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Bowden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bowden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bowden

The surname Bowden is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "boga" meaning "bow" and "denu" meaning "valley" or "deep wooded valley." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a bow-shaped valley or a valley where bowyers, makers of bows, resided.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Bogedene, referring to a place in Buckinghamshire. Other early variations of the spelling include Bogheden, Boghedene, and Boughden.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Bogheden, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. In the 13th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260, where a John de Bogheden is mentioned.

Bowden is also a place name found in various parts of England, including Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Wiltshire. Some of these place names may have contributed to the spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Bowden include:

1. Sir William Bowden (c. 1493-1545), an English courtier and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. John Bowden (c. 1598-1668), an English clergyman and author best known for his work "The Unveiled Truth."
3. Benjamin Bowden (1734-1804), an English Baptist minister and writer who served as the pastor of the Particular Baptist Church in Bourton-on-the-Water.
4. John Bowden (1787-1859), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral.
5. Frank Bowden (1848-1904), an English industrialist and co-founder of the Raleigh Bicycle Company in Nottingham.

The surname Bowden continues to be found throughout England and other parts of the English-speaking world, reflecting its rich history and origins rooted in the medieval era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bowden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bowden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bowden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bowden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bowden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bowden, please contact us.

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