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

Bowerman, 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 Bowerman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bowerman in America

Bowerman is the 8850th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bowerman surname appeared 3,702 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bowerman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bowerman 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 Bowerman

The surname Bowerman is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "boga" meaning "bow" and "mann" meaning "man." It was originally an occupational surname given to bowmakers or archers. The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Somerset, England.

During the medieval period, the Bowerman surname was prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. It appeared in various spellings such as Bogerman, Bouerman, and Bowyrman in ancient records and manuscripts. One notable mention is in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327, which lists a John Bowerman as a taxpayer.

In the 16th century, the Bowerman surname gained prominence with the birth of Sir William Bowerman (1537-1599), a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset. He was a staunch supporter of Queen Elizabeth I and played a significant role in the English Reformation.

Another notable Bowerman was Thomas Bowerman (1620-1676), an English Puritan minister and writer who published several religious works, including "The Watchman's Answer to the Question, What of the Night?" in 1661. He was a prominent figure during the English Civil War and served as a chaplain in the Parliamentary army.

In the 18th century, the Bowerman surname was associated with the village of Bowerman's Leigh in Gloucestershire, which was likely named after an early settler with the surname. A notable Bowerman from this era was John Bowerman (1733-1805), a renowned English architect who designed several churches and buildings in the Gloucestershire region.

The 19th century saw the rise of Henry Bowerman (1814-1883), an English politician and barrister who served as a Member of Parliament for Walsall. He was a vocal advocate for parliamentary reform and played a significant role in the extension of the franchise.

In the United States, one of the earliest known bearers of the Bowerman surname was William Bowerman (1654-1705), an English immigrant who settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the spread of the surname across America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bowerman

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

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

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

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