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

Bowdry, 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 Bowdry surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bowdry in America

Bowdry is the 37544th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bowdry surname appeared 593 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bowdry.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bowdry 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 Bowdry

The surname Bowdry is believed to have originated in the English county of Devon during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word "boga" meaning "crooked" or "bent", combined with the Old English word "dri" meaning "dry" or "barren". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in an area with dry, barren, or curved land.

Some of the earliest recorded examples of the Bowdry surname can be found in the Feet of Fines records from the 13th and 14th centuries, which documented land transfers and property transactions. Variations in spelling were common in these early documents, with the name appearing as Boghedri, Boghedrie, and Bogedry.

In the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, a record of taxation, there is mention of a John Bowedry residing in the village of Ipplepen, Devon. This is one of the earliest known instances of the surname in its modern spelling.

The Bowdry surname also appears in the Herald's Visitations, a series of genealogical surveys conducted by English heralds in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is Richard Bowdry, born in 1542, who was recorded as a landowner in the parish of Ashburton, Devon.

Throughout history, several individuals with the Bowdry surname have achieved notable recognition. In the 16th century, Thomas Bowdry (1535-1597) was a prominent merchant and trader in the city of Bristol. His entrepreneurial endeavors contributed to the city's economic growth during the Tudor era.

Another individual of note was Elizabeth Bowdry (1670-1738), an English poet and playwright whose works were published and performed in London during the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, Samuel Bowdry (1818-1892) was a respected architect known for his work on several notable buildings in the city of Bath, including the Bath Guildhall and the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel.

More recently, Professor Jonathan Bowdry (1927-2015) was a renowned historian and scholar who specialized in the study of medieval England and made significant contributions to the field through his research and publications.

Additionally, the name Bowdry has been associated with several place names in Devon, such as Bowdry Farm and Bowdry Cross, further reinforcing its historical ties to the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bowdry

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

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 Bowdry 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 Bowdry 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 Bowdry was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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