How common is the surname Bowman?

105,007 people in the United States had the surname Bowman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,940 Americans. It ranked 296th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bowman?

Julia Hall Bowman Robinson, American mathematician (1919–1985), followed by Josh Bowman.

Where is the surname Bowman most common?

Wikidata records people named Bowman in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Is the surname Bowman getting more or less common?

More common. 102,239 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 105,007 in 2010, up 2.7%.

Is Bowman also a first name?

Yes. Bowman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bowman

An occupational surname, carried by 105,007 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex B550

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bowman is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

A surname originating as an occupation for a bowman.

Bowman is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 105,007 people named Bowman in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,940 Americans. That is up 2.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 102,239.

#296

rank among US surnames

105,007

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.7%

change since 2000 (was #268)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#287	Márquez	107,533	2,871
#288	Fields	107,522	2,871
#289	Park	106,696	2,894
#290	Yang	106,033	2,912
#291	Little	105,936	2,914
#292	Banks	105,833	2,917
#293	Padilla	105,365	2,930

Who is named Bowman

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

81% of people named Bowman identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 81%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bowmans

19 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Julia Hall Bowman Robinson
American mathematician (1919–1985)
Josh Bowman
British actor, born 1988
Jessica Bowman
American actress, born 1980
Rob Bowman
American film director, born 1960
Lee Bowman
American actor (1914–1979)
Maddie Bowman
American freestyle skier, born 1994
Jamaal Bowman
American politician and educator (born 1976)
Isaiah Bowman
American geographer (1878–1950)
Bob Bowman
American swimming coach, born 1964
Nate Bowman
American basketball player (1943-1984)
Christian Bowman
American actor, born 1975
Matthew Bowman
American baseball player, born 1991

Notable Bowmans come mostly from the United States (15), the United Kingdom (3) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bowman

Bowman has the Soundex code B550, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B550.

Questions

How common is the surname Bowman?: 105,007 people in the United States had the surname Bowman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,940 Americans. It ranked 296th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bowman?: In the 2010 Census, 81% of people named Bowman identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bowman?: Julia Hall Bowman Robinson, American mathematician (1919–1985), followed by Josh Bowman.
Where is the surname Bowman most common?: Wikidata records people named Bowman in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
What type of surname is Bowman?: Bowman is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Bowman getting more or less common?: More common. 102,239 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 105,007 in 2010, up 2.7%.
Is Bowman also a first name?: Yes. Bowman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.