2000
#1,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.58
Uncommon Last name
Bowles
Derived from the Old English word for "bull," likely referring to a person who kept cattle or had a bull-like temperament.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,551 Americans carry the last name Bowles. That puts it at #1,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowles 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 Bowles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,415
Census rank
#1,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,282 bearers of the surname Bowles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowles
The surname Bowles is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bolle," meaning a small rounded hill or knoll. It was likely originally a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or on such a geographical feature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Bolles" in Berkshire and Wiltshire counties. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also sometimes spelled as "Boll," "Bolle," or "Boules," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common at the time. Some early bearers of the name include Robert de Boll, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, and Adam de Bolle, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1275.
The name Bowles has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Bowles (c. 1492-1573), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Edward Bowles (1613-1676), an English Presbyterian minister and writer who was ejected from his parish after the Restoration.
In the 18th century, William Bowles (1705-1780) was a renowned English naturalist and writer on natural history, while William Lisle Bowles (1762-1850) was a poet and critic who served as the chaplain to the Prince Regent. Reverend John Bowles (1751-1819) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Antiquities of Bamburgh."
Moving into the 19th century, Samuel Bowles (1826-1878) was an influential American newspaper publisher and editor who founded the Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts. His son, Samuel Bowles III (1851-1915), continued the family business and was also a noted philanthropist.
Throughout its history, the name Bowles has been found not only in England but also in other parts of the British Isles, as well as in North America and other English-speaking regions. It has been associated with various occupations and social classes, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowles
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowles 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 Bowles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.4% · 17,243
- Black or African American13.3% · 2,962
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,008
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 782
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 147
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 140
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowles
Bowles 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
#1,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,713
+556 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 8.04
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#1,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,282
-1,431 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 7.45
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,405 | 23,157 | 8.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,514 | 23,713 | 8.04 | +556 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #1,570 | 22,282 | 7.45 | -1,431 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 56 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 Bowles 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 | #1,514 | #1,570 | -3.7% |
| Count | 23,713 | 22,282 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.04 | 7.45 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowles bearers went from 23,713 to 22,282 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,514 to #1,570.
FAQ
Bowles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowles?
Name Census estimates that about 25,551 living Americans carry the surname Bowles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,415 residents.
How common is Bowles?
Bowles ranks #1,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.45 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 22,282 people with the surname Bowles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.45 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 Bowles.
Has Bowles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowles went from 23,713 recorded bearers to 22,282. That is a decrease of 1,431 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,514 to #1,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bowles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (17,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.4%), Black (13.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bowles (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 Bowles mean?
Derived from the Old English word for "bull," likely referring to a person who kept cattle or had a bull-like temperament. 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 Bowles (7.45 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 have the surname Bowles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.