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

Bowman, 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 Bowman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bowman in America

Bowman is the 296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bowman surname appeared 105,007 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 36 people would have the surname Bowman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bowman 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 Bowman

The surname Bowman is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "boga" meaning "bow" and "mann" meaning "man." This suggests that the name originally referred to an archer or someone skilled in archery.

In the Middle Ages, archery was highly valued, and bowmen played a crucial role in military campaigns and hunting. The earliest recorded instances of the name Bowman can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Bowman was Robert le Bogheman, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230. The name also appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Bogeman" in Derbyshire.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Bowman was particularly prevalent in Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, where archery was a popular activity. Some notable Bowmans from this period include Sir William Bowman (c. 1380-1457), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.

In the 16th century, the name Bowman continued to be associated with archery. Sir Martin Bowman (1524-1597) was an English gentleman archer and a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. He is known for his role in the defense of London during the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The 17th century saw the emergence of several distinguished individuals bearing the surname Bowman. One of them was Sir William Bowman (1589-1663), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire. Another notable figure was Thomas Bowman (1617-1704), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In the 18th century, the name Bowman was widespread across various parts of England and Scotland. Walter Bowman (1699-1782) was a Scottish philosopher and historian who wrote extensively on the history and culture of Scotland.

The 19th century brought forth several notable Bowmans, including Sir Joseph Bowman (1828-1904), a British engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of railways and bridges. Another prominent figure was Sir William Bowman (1816-1892), an English surgeon and ophthalmologist who made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of eye anatomy and diseases.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bowman

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

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

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

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