2000
#4,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Bowlin
Occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden bowls or basins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,564 Americans carry the last name Bowlin. That puts it at #5,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowlin 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.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 45,314
Census rank
#5,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,596 bearers of the surname Bowlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowlin
The surname Bowlin originated in England, tracing its roots back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "boga" meaning "to bend" and "lind" meaning "lime tree," suggesting a connection to archery or the crafting of bows from lime wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where a Richard Boglind is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
During the Middle Ages, the Bowlin name was concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. Records from this period indicate that some families bearing this surname held land and property in these regions.
In the 14th century, a Robert Bowlyn is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1348. This document provides valuable insight into the lives of individuals bearing this name during that era.
The Bowlin surname also has a connection to place names. For instance, the village of Bowling in West Yorkshire may have contributed to the development of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
Notable individuals with the Bowlin surname include:
1. Sir John Bowlin (c. 1450-1518), a knight and landowner in Lancashire, England.
2. William Bowlin (1571-1642), a merchant and alderman in the city of York, England.
3. Elizabeth Bowlin (c. 1620-1690), one of the early settlers in the American colony of Virginia.
4. Thomas Bowlin (1675-1729), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century.
5. Samuel Bowlin (1792-1867), an American frontiersman and explorer known for his travels in the American West.
While the Bowlin surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by generations of immigrants and settlers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowlin 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 Bowlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 5,835
- Two or more races4.6% · 302
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 181
- Black or African American2.7% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowlin
Bowlin 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
#5,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,938
+67 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 335 places
2020
#5,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,596
-342 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,720 | 6,871 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,055 | 6,938 | 2.35 | +67 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 335 places |
| 2020 | #5,129 | 6,596 | 2.21 | -342 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 74 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 Bowlin 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 | #5,055 | #5,129 | -1.5% |
| Count | 6,938 | 6,596 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.21 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowlin bearers went from 6,938 to 6,596 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,055 to #5,129.
FAQ
Bowlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowlin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,564 living Americans carry the surname Bowlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,314 residents.
How common is Bowlin?
Bowlin ranks #5,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.21 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 6,596 people with the surname Bowlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.21 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 Bowlin.
Has Bowlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowlin went from 6,938 recorded bearers to 6,596. That is a decrease of 342 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,055 to #5,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bowlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (5,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Bowlin (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 Bowlin mean?
Occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden bowls or basins. 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 Bowlin (2.21 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 Bowlin?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Bowlin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.