# Bowes (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bowes/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 4,967 |
| US rank (2010) | 6,791 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 62,159 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.5% (4,847 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

First attested as Bogas (1148). Probably from Old English boga/Old Norse bogi (“a bow”), in this case suggesting an arched bridge. Or else from an early Proto-Brythonic root meaning "a bend".

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bowes in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 89% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 6.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Similar surnames

Boss, Bosse, Boos, Bose, Boese, Boose, Boes, Boyes, Boesch, Bouse, Boze, Boge.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.