2000
#7,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,099
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Bowyer
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bows, an archer, or a hunter using a bow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,620 Americans carry the last name Bowyer. That puts it at #7,904 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowyer 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 Bowyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,189
Census rank
#7,904
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,029 bearers of the surname Bowyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7904th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowyer
The surname "BOWYER" is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "bowyer," which referred to a maker of bows and arrows, a highly skilled profession during those times.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, both dating back to the 13th century. These early mentions often appear with slight variations in spelling, such as "Bouyer" or "Bowiere."
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Robert le Bowyer, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273. Another early bearer was William le Bowyer, listed in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279.
The surname is also found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the occupation of bowyer was already established in England during the Norman period.
Throughout history, the surname Bowyer has been associated with various notable figures. Sir William Bowyer (1663-1737) was a renowned English printer and publisher who established the Bowyer printing house in London. Sir John Bowyer, 1st Baronet (1623-1666), was an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Bowyer (1758-1834), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge. William Bowyer (1699-1777) was an English printer and scholar known for his contributions to the field of typography and his work on the Cambridge edition of the Greek Testament.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Bowyer was also associated with various places in England, such as Bowyer's Hill in Hertfordshire and Bowyer's Lane in London, further solidifying its connection to the occupation of bowyer and the production of bows and arrows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowyer 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 Bowyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 3,567
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 147
- Two or more races3.5% · 140
- Black or African American3.4% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowyer
Bowyer 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
#8,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,127
+28 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 523 places
2020
#7,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,029
-98 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,496 | 4,099 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,019 | 4,127 | 1.40 | +28 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 523 places |
| 2020 | #7,904 | 4,029 | 1.35 | -98 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 115 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 Bowyer 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 | #8,019 | #7,904 | 1.4% |
| Count | 4,127 | 4,029 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.35 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowyer bearers went from 4,127 to 4,029 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,019 to #7,904.
FAQ
Bowyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowyer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,620 living Americans carry the surname Bowyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,189 residents.
How common is Bowyer?
Bowyer ranks #7,904 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,029 people with the surname Bowyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bowyer.
Has Bowyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowyer went from 4,127 recorded bearers to 4,029. That is a decrease of 98 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,019 to #7,904.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Bowyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (3,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (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 Bowyer (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 Bowyer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bows, an archer, or a hunter using a bow. 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 Bowyer (1.35 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 Bowyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.