2000
#1,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.05
Uncommon Last name
Bower
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used bows, such as an archer or bowyer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,431 Americans carry the last name Bower. That puts it at #1,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bower 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 Bower with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,628
Census rank
#1,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,433 bearers of the surname Bower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bower, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bower
The surname Bower is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word 'bur' or 'bure', meaning 'dwelling' or 'shelter'. It referred to someone who lived in or was responsible for maintaining a bower or small shelter, often temporary, in a woodland or garden.
The name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals whose occupation involved building or maintaining these temporary shelters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, which mentions a certain William le Bower. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Bower, such as Roger le Bower in Buckinghamshire and John le Bower in Oxfordshire.
The Bower surname is closely related to the place name Bower in Yorkshire, which was recorded as 'Bure' in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that the surname may have derived from this location, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or came from.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bower. One of the earliest was John Bower, a 15th-century English Benedictine monk and historian who wrote the Scotichronicon, a renowned chronicle of Scottish history. Another notable figure was Walter Bower, a 16th-century English printer and publisher who established a successful printing business in London.
In the 18th century, Archibald Bower was a Scottish historian and writer who gained fame for his work "The History of the Popes". He was born in 1686 and lived until 1766. Another significant figure was Henry Bower, a 19th-century English architect and surveyor, born in 1808 and known for his work on several notable buildings in London.
Lastly, Kathleen Bower, born in 1888 and died in 1959, was a British author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays, including "Mistress Masham's Repose" and "The Circus Is Not Like This".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bower
Among Census respondents with the surname Bower, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bower 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 Bower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 18,572
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 719
- Two or more races3.2% · 647
- Black or African American1.1% · 216
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bower
Bower 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
#1,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,445
-260 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 7.27
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#1,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,433
-1,012 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 6.84
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,516 | 21,705 | 8.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,682 | 21,445 | 7.27 | -260 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #1,718 | 20,433 | 6.84 | -1,012 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 36 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 Bower 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 | #1,682 | #1,718 | -2.1% |
| Count | 21,445 | 20,433 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.27 | 6.84 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bower bearers went from 21,445 to 20,433 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,682 to #1,718.
FAQ
Bower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bower?
Name Census estimates that about 23,431 living Americans carry the surname Bower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,628 residents.
How common is Bower?
Bower ranks #1,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,433 people with the surname Bower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Bower.
Has Bower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bower went from 21,445 recorded bearers to 20,433. That is a decrease of 1,012 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,682 to #1,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Bower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bower, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (18,572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Bower (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 Bower mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used bows, such as an archer or bowyer. 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 Bower (6.84 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 are called Bower?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bower is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.