2000
#6,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Bowes
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bow" or "arch," likely referring to a curved landscape feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,658 Americans carry the last name Bowes. That puts it at #6,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,579 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowes 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 Bowes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,579
Census rank
#6,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,934 bearers of the surname Bowes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowes
The surname BOWES has its origins in England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "boga," meaning "a bough" or "a bow," potentially referring to someone who lived near a prominent tree or worked as a bowmaker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BOWES can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Bogas" in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was well-established in Northern England by the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, such as Boges, Bogis, and Bowgis, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The spelling "BOWES" became more standardized during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Interestingly, the BOWES surname is also associated with several place names in England, particularly in County Durham and Yorkshire. For example, the town of Bowes in County Durham is believed to have derived its name from the same Old English root as the surname.
One notable historical figure bearing the BOWES surname was Sir Robert Bowes (1493-1556), a prominent English diplomat and military commander during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He served as the Captain of Norham Castle and played a crucial role in the Anglo-Scottish conflicts of the time.
Another prominent individual was Sir Martin Bowes (1500-1566), a goldsmith and Lord Mayor of London in 1545. He was known for his wealth and influence in the City of London during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, Sir Jerome Bowes (1599-1637) was an English traveler and ambassador to Russia, known for his accounts of his travels and his diplomatic missions to the court of Tsar Michael I.
The BOWES family also produced several notable figures in the arts, including John Bowes (1804-1885), an English entrepreneur and art collector who founded the Bowes Museum in County Durham, which houses an impressive collection of European fine and decorative arts.
Finally, Andrew Robinson Bowes (1839-1910) was a British politician and landowner who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Wensleydale division of the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1892 to 1910.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowes
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowes 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 Bowes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 4,229
- Black or African American6.7% · 329
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 174
- Two or more races2.8% · 140
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowes
Bowes 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
#6,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,967
+120 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 331 places
2020
#6,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,934
-33 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,460 | 4,847 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,791 | 4,967 | 1.68 | +120 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 331 places |
| 2020 | #6,591 | 4,934 | 1.65 | -33 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 200 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 Bowes 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 | #6,791 | #6,591 | 2.9% |
| Count | 4,967 | 4,934 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.65 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowes bearers went from 4,967 to 4,934 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,791 to #6,591.
FAQ
Bowes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowes?
Name Census estimates that about 5,658 living Americans carry the surname Bowes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,579 residents.
How common is Bowes?
Bowes ranks #6,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,934 people with the surname Bowes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bowes.
Has Bowes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowes went from 4,967 recorded bearers to 4,934. That is a decrease of 33 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,791 to #6,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bowes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (4,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (6.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Bowes (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 Bowes mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "bow" or "arch," likely referring to a curved landscape feature. 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 Bowes (1.65 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 Americans have the surname Bowes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.