2000
#370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 77,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 28.57
Uncommon Last name
Bowen
A Welsh toponymic surname derived from ap Owen, meaning "son of Owen," or from a place name meaning "cattle enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,775 Americans carry the last name Bowen. That puts it at #423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bowen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,950
Census rank
#423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,672 bearers of the surname Bowen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowen 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 Bowen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 59,625
- Black or African American11.9% · 9,003
- Two or more races4.2% · 3,201
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 2,808
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 536
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 499
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowen
Bowen 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
#407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,822
+1,744 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 26.72
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,672
-3,150 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 25.32
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #370 | 77,078 | 28.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #407 | 78,822 | 26.72 | +1,744 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #423 | 75,672 | 25.32 | -3,150 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 16 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 Bowen 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 | #407 | #423 | -3.9% |
| Count | 78,822 | 75,672 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 26.72 | 25.32 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowen bearers went from 78,822 to 75,672 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #407 to #423.
FAQ
Bowen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowen?
Name Census estimates that about 86,775 living Americans carry the surname Bowen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,950 residents.
How common is Bowen?
Bowen ranks #423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,672 people with the surname Bowen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,775), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Bowen.
Has Bowen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowen went from 78,822 recorded bearers to 75,672. That is a decrease of 3,150 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #407 to #423.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bowen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (59,625 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bowen (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 Bowen mean?
A Welsh toponymic surname derived from ap Owen, meaning "son of Owen," or from a place name meaning "cattle enclosure." 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 Bowen (25.32 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 common is the surname Bowen?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Bowen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.