How common is the surname Bowles?

23,713 people in the United States had the surname Bowles in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,020 Americans. It ranked 1,514th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bowles?

Paul Bowles, American composer and writer (1910–1999), followed by Jane Bowles.

Where is the surname Bowles most common?

Wikidata records people named Bowles in the United States.

Is the surname Bowles getting more or less common?

More common. 23,157 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 23,713 in 2010, up 2.4%.

The surname Bowles

A surname, carried by 23,713 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex B420

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bowles is more common than 99.1% of them.

Origin

Variant of Bowell with post-medieval excrescent -s.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 23,713 people named Bowles in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 13,020 Americans. That is up 2.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 23,157.

#1,514

rank among US surnames

23,713

people in 2010

8.0

per 100,000 Americans

+2.4%

change since 2000 (was #1,405)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,505	Clement	23,830	12,956
#1,506	Devine	23,775	12,986
#1,507	Crockett	23,769	12,989
#1,508	Benavides	23,761	12,994
#1,509	Bullard	23,755	12,997
#1,510	Louis	23,738	13,006
#1,511	Steiner	23,735	13,008

Who is named Bowles

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

81% of people named Bowles identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bowless

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Paul Bowles
American composer and writer (1910–1999)
Jane Bowles
American novelist, playwright (1917–1973)
Chester Bowles
American politician (1901–1986)
Samuel Bowles
American economist, born 1936
Lauren Bowles
American actress, born 1973
Gary Ray Bowles
American serial killer (1962–2019)
Erskine Bowles
American politician and businessman, born 1945
Brian Bowles
American martial artist, born 1980
Todd Bowles
American football player and coach, born 1963

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bowles

Bowles has the Soundex code B420, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B420.

Questions

Where does the surname Bowles come from?: Variant of Bowell with post-medieval excrescent -s.
How common is the surname Bowles?: 23,713 people in the United States had the surname Bowles in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 13,020 Americans. It ranked 1,514th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bowles?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Bowles identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bowles?: Paul Bowles, American composer and writer (1910–1999), followed by Jane Bowles.
Where is the surname Bowles most common?: Wikidata records people named Bowles in the United States.
Is the surname Bowles getting more or less common?: More common. 23,157 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 23,713 in 2010, up 2.4%.