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

Bowen, 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 Bowen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bowen in America

Bowen is the 407th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bowen surname appeared 78,822 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 27 people would have the surname Bowen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bowen 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 Bowen

The surname Bowen is believed to have originated from Wales, derived from the Welsh personal name "Ap Owen" meaning "son of Owen." The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in the region of Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The name Bowen is thought to be a variant spelling of the Welsh surname Bywion, which is derived from the Welsh word "byw" meaning "alive" or "living." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive name or nickname for someone who exhibited a lively or energetic personality.

In the 14th century, records show the name being spelled as "Ap Owen" and "Abowen," indicating the gradual transition towards the modern spelling of "Bowen." During this time, the name began to spread beyond Wales and into other parts of England.

One of the earliest documented references to the name Bowen can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name had already established a presence in England by the 11th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Bowen throughout history include:

1. Christopher Bowen (1585-1644), an English merchant and explorer who established the first permanent English settlement in Barbados.
2. Silas Bowen (1625-1698), a Welsh Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Woodstock, Connecticut.
3. William Bowen (1663-1714), an English mathematician and the second Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford.
4. John Bowen (1767-1835), an English naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Barbados and the British Virgin Islands.
5. Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973), an acclaimed Irish novelist and short-story writer, known for her novels "The Last September" and "The Heat of the Day."

The name Bowen has also been associated with several place names, such as Bowen Island in British Columbia, Canada, and the town of Bowen in Queensland, Australia, both named after individuals bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bowen

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

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

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

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