2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bowdy
A topographical surname derived from the word "boue" meaning a miry place or mud-pit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Bowdy. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowdy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Bowdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowdy
The surname Bowdy is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "boga," which means "a bender or bow maker." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold bows for archery.
During the medieval period, the name was found primarily in the counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Bowdye, Boudye, and Boudey.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Bowdy can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332, which lists a William Bowdy as a taxpayer. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a Henry Bowdye from Worcestershire.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was John Bowdy (c. 1520-1590), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and served as the Sheriff of London in 1574.
Another notable figure was Sir Roger Bowdy (1610-1678), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Warwick during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
During the 17th century, the Bowdy family had established connections with the village of Lapworth in Warwickshire. In 1655, a Thomas Bowdy was recorded as the vicar of Lapworth.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Bowdy family was William Bowdy (1718-1792), a successful businessman and landowner from Worcestershire. He owned several estates and served as the High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1765.
Another notable figure was Richard Bowdy (1765-1824), a renowned architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Georgian style. Some of his notable works include St. Mary's Church in Warwick and Bowdy Hall, a grand manor house in Worcestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowdy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bowdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.6% · 78
- Black or African American20.2% · 22
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowdy
Bowdy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,291 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,291 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bowdy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowdy bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Bowdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowdy?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Bowdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Bowdy?
Bowdy ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Bowdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bowdy.
Has Bowdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowdy went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (6.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bowdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.6%), Black (20.2%), Hispanic (6.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bowdy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bowdy mean?
A topographical surname derived from the word "boue" meaning a miry place or mud-pit. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bowdy (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Bowdy?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Bowdy, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.