Bowen Surname

3,432nd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 163,119 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Barbados

Bowen Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Owen,' from the Welsh Ap-Owen = Bowen; compare Bevans = Ap-Evan, Bethell = Ap-Ithell, Bloyd = Ap-Lloyd, &c. In the Visitation of London, 1634, Thomas Bowen claims descent from Thomas Bowen of Llewenny, Denbighshire.

Read More About This Surname

Bowen Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States107,8261:3,362351
England16,2121:3,437462
Australia7,8671:3,432481
Wales6,3541:48735
Canada4,9371:7,4631,096
Kenya4,4591:10,3571,314
Jamaica2,9191:983180
Ecuador2,9101:5,466917
Barbados9621:29966
New Zealand8951:5,060816
South Africa8381:64,6518,126
Trinidad and Tobago6891:1,980337
Ireland6381:7,3811,060
Guyana5081:1,500263
Liberia4341:10,1581,124
Grenada3261:33355
Scotland3251:16,4732,025
Belize3241:1,097256
Northern Ireland3111:5,9331,083
Thailand2881:245,27241,574
France2541:261,50740,317
Saudi Arabia2391:129,10417,726
Spain2381:196,43713,533
Panama2181:17,9461,259
China1651:8,286,797558
Venezuela1541:196,1305,384
Brazil1431:1,497,02350,066
Chile1271:138,7124,862
Argentina1241:344,70527,064
Dominican Republic1231:84,8213,815
Germany1181:682,25052,603
Cameroon1081:192,30619,984
Antigua and Barbuda971:1,022174
Switzerland661:124,43812,477
Singapore511:107,9944,447
Netherlands501:337,74438,500
India421:18,263,461278,402
Malaysia421:702,24333,141
Guernsey371:1,742400
Cayman Islands341:1,879244
Greece341:325,87646,418
Jersey341:2,918527
Suriname321:17,2694,028
Qatar281:84,2149,043
Philippines261:3,893,778155,597
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines231:4,898600
Zimbabwe231:671,22849,171
Denmark221:256,57819,736
Colombia201:2,388,70413,197
Isle of Man201:4,291899
Aruba181:5,749789
Indonesia171:7,779,364314,803
Norway171:302,48730,120
Iraq161:2,188,85319,343
Sweden161:615,42245,338
Bermuda151:4,352690
Papua New Guinea141:582,40870,330
Hong Kong131:564,2683,428
Turks and Caicos Islands131:2,641268
Belgium121:958,05473,966
Russia121:12,010,255361,204
United States Virgin Islands121:9,1981,357
Austria91:946,15970,786
British Virgin Islands91:3,510429
Cuba91:1,280,3027,343
South Korea91:5,693,362993
Estonia81:165,22626,217
Guam81:20,0153,029
Israel81:1,069,70462,476
Italy81:7,644,586115,463
Nigeria81:22,142,845310,552
Saint Kitts and Nevis81:6,900616
Saint Lucia81:22,3481,601
Afghanistan71:4,593,31223,122
Mexico71:17,732,31550,495
Pakistan71:25,520,55584,222
Bahamas61:65,292848
Gibraltar61:5,659991
Japan61:21,307,38248,838
Czechia51:2,126,694115,412
El Salvador51:1,268,7784,375
Taiwan51:4,688,94927,695
Uganda51:7,807,856134,263
Vietnam51:18,529,2113,282
Croatia41:1,057,15157,892
Honduras41:2,204,1106,397
Ukraine41:11,380,674331,818
United Arab Emirates41:2,290,56860,372
Benin31:3,445,20177,822
Egypt31:30,645,251132,600
Ghana31:9,006,89723,626
Guatemala31:5,360,8898,925
Turkey31:25,940,474162,557
Albania21:1,457,02824,967
Costa Rica21:2,390,03410,205
Cyprus21:442,4389,493
Nicaragua21:3,010,5457,383
Peru21:15,892,06251,966
Sri Lanka21:10,404,28018,448
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Andorra11:83,8382,381
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Botswana11:2,186,92930,250
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Dominica11:75,891912
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Lesotho11:2,032,55823,402
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Liechtenstein11:38,3781,726
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Macau11:601,6301,582
Malta11:430,2723,380
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Monaco11:37,0664,748
Montserrat11:4,947471
New Caledonia11:276,22310,363
Niger11:19,192,017110,060
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Palau11:21,643223
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Uruguay11:3,431,75838,295
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland5961:7,4331,140
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England6,2831:3,880552
Wales6,1051:25729
Scotland281:133,6865,889
Guernsey171:1,921330
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States21,3981:2,347246

Bowen (9,554) may also be a first name.

Bowen Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Owen,' from the Welsh Ap-Owen = Bowen; compare Bevans = Ap-Evan, Bethell = Ap-Ithell, Bloyd = Ap-Lloyd, &c. In the Visitation of London, 1634, Thomas Bowen claims descent from Thomas Bowen of Llewenny, Denbighshire.

1487. Lewis ap-Owen, County of Cardigan: History and Ant. of St. David's.

1568. Baptised — Daniell, son of John Abowen: St. Peter, Cornhill.

Thomas ap-Owen, Cal. State Papers, Henry VIII.

1582. Thomas Bowen, Cardiganshire: Register of the University of Oxford.

1597. Hugh Bowen, Carmarthenshire: ibid.

1691. Arnold Bowen, prebendary of. St. David's: History and Ant. of St. David's.

(2) Local, 'de Bohun,' sometimes no doubt for Bown, which see.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(Celtic) the Welsh ab-Owen or ab-Owain = Son of Owain: v. Owen [Welsh ab, ap, son (of]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Usually of Welsh origin (ap Owen). Also for Bohane q.v. and for Norman de Bohun. Bibl; MIF 38, 79

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

“Son of Owen” in Welsh (Ap. Owen).

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(Welsh) The son of Owen, Welsh form of Eugene (wellborn).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Welsh, Ab-Owen, Owen's son. Pembrokeshire is the greatest habitat of this name.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(Welsh.) A corruption of Ap Owen, the son of Owen, so Price from Ap Rice, and Prichard from Ap Richard.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

(Welsh), Ap Owen, Son of Owen.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

From the Flemish, Boen; from the Dutch, Bowen; a personal name.$

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

The Bowens, according to Lower, have their great home in Pembrokeshire, but they are also numerous in Shropshire.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

The name Bowen actually has two seperate roots: the Welsh one mentioned on the site, and the other one being the Anglicisation of the Irish surname O Bachin, translating roughly to "of victory". And I believe that this root is considerably more common than the Welsh in the USA.

- anonymous submission

Bowen Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Bowen Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Bowen (Arabic: بوين, Hindi: बोएन, Marathi: बोबेन) is borne by more people in The United States than any other country or territory. It can be found in the variant forms:. For other potential spellings of Bowen click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Bowen? popularity and diffusion

Bowen is the 3,432nd most frequent family name internationally It is held by around 1 in 44,676 people. The surname is mostly found in The Americas, where 71 percent of Bowen live; 65 percent live in North America and 65 percent live in Anglo-North America. Bowen is also the 63,196th most prevalent first name internationally It is held by 9,554 people.

Bowen is most frequently used in The United States, where it is held by 107,826 people, or 1 in 3,362. In The United States Bowen is most prevalent in: Georgia, where 9 percent live, California, where 7 percent live and Texas, where 7 percent live. Besides The United States this surname occurs in 128 countries. It also occurs in England, where 10 percent live and Australia, where 5 percent live.

Bowen Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Bowen has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Bowen last name rose 504 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 258 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 104 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it rose 107 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it rose 1,161 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Bowen Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the last name is principally Catholic (77%) in Ireland and Christian (100%) in Kenya.

In The United States those bearing the Bowen last name are 15.06% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 61.83% being registered to vote for the party.

The amount Bowen earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 42.07% more than the national average, earning 491,672 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 80.22% more than the national average, earning R 428,268 per year; in Colombia they earn 50.98% more than the national average, earning $34,275,600 COP per year; in United States they earn 1.44% less than the national average, earning $42,528 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.14% more than the national average, earning $52,734 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Bouwen91749/
Bowgen91195/
Bowien91122/
Bowein9168/
Bowene9141/
Bowhen9116/
Boewen9112/
Bowenn9111/
Bhowen9111/
Boween9111/
Bowean915/
Boiwen915/
Bowenc911/
Bowent911/
Bowesn911/
Bohwen911/
Boywen911/
Bowwen911/
Bown898,341/
Boen895,810/
Bouwene8346/
Boswein8321/
Bouweng834/
Bouwein832/
Bouwien831/
Boweing831/
Bouwean831/
Bouwenn831/
Boshwen830/
Boweine830/
Boven802,822/
Bowne801,667/
Boyen801,378/
Boben80662/
Bowin80649/
Bojen80514/
Bouen8091/
Bawen8080/
Buwen8054/
Boien8036/
Bhown8030/
Bowem8017/
Åboen8017/
Bhoen8014/
Boewn804/
Boown802/
Bownn801/
Boevn801/
Bownh801/
Bowhn800/
Bownd800/
Boenn800/
Bowenová772/
Bouweine771/
Bouwesne771/
Boysen738,620/
Boisen732,736/
Bouten732,156/
Boiten73714/
Baween73503/
Bawene73201/
Bovien73104/
Boeven7387/
Bauwen7386/
Bouwyn7380/
Bousen7379/
Bouene7374/
Bobeen7373/
Bouyen7364/
Boeyon7350/
Boyeng7350/
Boyene7344/
Bhoben7342/
Boggen7341/
Boyten7331/
Bowine7329/
Boyhen7324/
Bovene7323/
Boiene7322/
Bhoyen7320/
Boevin7317/
Bovent7316/
Bouwin7315/
Bowgin7313/
Bouben7312/
Boveng7311/
Boewin7311/
Boiven7310/
Bewean7310/
Boueng7310/
Bosuen739/
Bouven739/
Bobean738/
Booven737/
Boyenk737/
Boyuen736/
Boyeen735/
Boycen735/
Booben735/
Boeien735/
Bhojen734/
Bawean734/
Booyen734/
Boeyan734/
Baioen734/
Boouen734/
Bhownk733/
Boucen733/
Bouend733/
Boowin733/
Boveun733/
Boveen732/
Boyben732/
Boywin732/
Bojent732/
Boieng732/
Bouwem732/
Bawien732/
Bhowne731/
Bowhng731/
Boyent731/
Boient731/
Bojesn731/
Bobein731/
Boiwin731/
Bojcen731/
Bovend731/
Boweem731/
Bowinn731/
Boyien731/
Baouen731/
Bovean730/
Bowink730/
Bowoin730/
Bowain730/
Boujen730/
Bouehn730/
Bowhuisen710/
Bean6767,635/
Booysen6753,764/
Bien6736,910/
Been678,795/
Buen677,857/
Bein675,069/
Boin674,706/
Beun671,903/
Boun671,301/
Baen671,018/
Beyn67846/
Bawn67719/
Boivent67679/
Boussen67620/
Bouhsen67542/
Byen67464/
Boyn67250/
Bouveng67157/
Bouchen67152/
Boutten6775/
Boijsen6737/
Bhaween6731/
Baswene6721/
Bhoiten6720/
Boswink6714/
Boissen6713/
Bouwhuisen679/
Baouene679/
Boyenne677/
Bouvene676/
Bobn675/
Bowinne675/
Bouwine675/
Bouteng674/
Bejn674/
Bhaweng673/
Bauweng673/
Bouwhuysen673/
Boyseng673/
Bhojene672/
Boieene672/
Bouegne672/
Bouyene672/
Boyseen672/
Buwn671/
Bouhien671/
Bouyenn671/
Boveine671/
Bowgoin671/
Boyeene671/
Boyteen671/
Boggien671/
Baawene671/
Bovn671/
Boubein671/
Bowwine671/
Bousehn671/
Bojn671/
Boychen671/
Bouvent671/
Bouwain671/
Boyssen671/
Beàn671/
Beán671/
Bauwein671/
Baaouen671/
Buohien671/
Baaween671/
Booyesn671/
Bochuen671/
Boujeen671/
Boehien670/
Bohbein670/
Boswing670/
Bouycen670/
Boubean670/

Bowen Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Bowen in the Hindi language
बोएनbo'ena-
Bowen in the Marathi language
बोबेनbobena-
Bowen in the Arabic language
بوينbwyn-

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Bowen Reference & Research

Bowen DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Bowen FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Bowen
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis