Bowman Surname

3,232nd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 174,134 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Bowman Surname Definition:

Innes (p. 37) says this name means a man in charge of the bow or cattle, and in his Legal antiquities (p. 266) he defines bowman as a person who farms for a season the tenant's milk-cows, and the pasture to maintain them," and James Macdonald (Local place names, p.

Read More About This Surname

Bowman Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States137,4921:2,636267
England12,5551:4,438605
Australia8,9631:3,012413
Canada6,9561:5,297771
Scotland1,8771:2,852526
South Africa1,2451:43,5165,556
New Zealand9181:4,933793
Liberia6631:6,649793
Northern Ireland5401:3,417677
Guyana3451:2,209399
Wales2351:13,1681,460
Ireland2101:22,4242,223
France1841:360,99353,985
Jamaica1691:16,9821,563
Belize1571:2,264500
Thailand1171:603,747102,586
Dominican Republic1081:96,6014,209
Denmark1051:53,7595,507
Trinidad and Tobago991:13,7781,793
Germany921:875,05962,702
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines751:1,502321
Spain751:623,36028,648
Japan651:1,966,83527,587
Argentina611:700,71248,077
Honduras521:169,5472,080
Malta481:8,964551
Philippines421:2,410,434128,915
United Arab Emirates401:229,05715,464
Nigeria351:5,061,222131,727
Ecuador321:497,05810,858
Panama321:122,2584,322
Switzerland321:256,65421,165
Brazil311:6,905,624162,221
Mexico301:4,137,54026,679
Malawi251:684,76419,487
Isle of Man241:3,576767
Jersey221:4,509908
Singapore211:262,27211,611
Zimbabwe191:812,53955,590
Belgium181:638,70256,744
Israel171:503,39037,521
Netherlands171:993,36365,241
Austria161:532,21549,801
Malaysia161:1,843,38974,511
Antigua and Barbuda151:6,611774
China141:97,665,8265,141
Estonia121:110,15019,471
Guam121:13,3432,098
Barbados111:26,1321,223
Sweden101:984,67673,605
Ghana91:3,002,29911,581
Italy91:6,795,188113,457
Papua New Guinea91:905,96994,851
Russia91:16,013,673414,297
Norway81:642,78647,258
Indonesia71:18,892,742520,071
Hong Kong61:1,222,5805,222
Qatar61:393,00055,922
South Korea61:8,540,0431,433
United States Virgin Islands61:18,3962,503
Afghanistan51:6,430,63727,710
Costa Rica51:956,0146,058
Saint Lucia51:35,7561,958
Turkey51:15,564,284149,633
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Chile41:4,404,11844,633
Iraq41:8,755,41423,373
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Saudi Arabia41:7,713,95437,548
Suriname41:138,1547,029
Croatia31:1,409,53570,997
Kenya31:15,393,30077,493
Ukraine31:15,174,232372,501
Venezuela31:10,068,02660,591
Cambodia21:7,743,57311,959
Cyprus21:442,4389,493
Egypt21:45,967,877132,655
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
India21:383,532,6911,645,216
Nicaragua21:3,010,5457,383
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Bolivia11:10,616,43417,077
British Virgin Islands11:31,5941,029
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Fiji11:894,3914,568
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Gambia11:1,923,4511,043
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Haiti11:10,683,90724,607
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kyrgyzstan11:5,972,65499,197
Laos11:6,588,3231,961
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Montserrat11:4,947471
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Mozambique11:27,261,5697,432
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Rwanda11:11,364,9785,947
Saint Martin11:35,156229
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Solomon Islands11:580,02922,243
Sudan11:37,510,19514,259
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Uganda11:39,039,279258,887
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4731:9,3651,378
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England6,2611:3,893553
Scotland1,5481:2,418436
Wales371:42,3902,234
Jersey61:8,6471,503
Isle of Man31:18,0901,402
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States25,9571:1,935197

Bowman (1,314) may also be a first name.

Bowman Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Innes (p. 37) says this name means a man in charge of the bow or cattle, and in his Legal antiquities (p. 266) he defines bowman as a person who farms for a season the tenant's milk-cows, and the pasture to maintain them," and James Macdonald (Local place names, p. 126) after referring to Innes's definition says "The sheriff is no doubt stricily correct as to the primary meaning and use of the term, but so fax as I have observed, 'bowman' is used in various parts of the country to designate small farmers and occasionally farm servants." I rather think that the name has the same meaning as Bower and Bowmaker. In 1328 Gregory Bovman who rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the sheriff of Aberdeen (ER., I, p. 107) appears as Gregory dictus Bowman in an inquisition in Aberdeen in 1333 (REA., I, p. 54; on p. 53 his name is wrongly spelled Bluman). Gyb Bowman in Aberdeen was charged with being a forestaller in 1402 (CRA., p. 383). Robert Bowman, a follower of the earl of Cassilis, was respited for murder in 1526 (RSS., I, 3386). The surname is common in the West Coast, and is found in Glasgow so early as 1550 (Protocols, I), and in Stirling in 1592 (Sc. Ant., VI p. 167). In 1723 several persons of this name residing in Glenmuick and Glenesk, approached the earl of Strathmore, setting forth that their forbears were truly and really of the surname of Lyon, who had come out of the shire of Angus on account of some troubles, and assumed the name of Bowman, but being by blood Lyons they now desired to resume their true surname (Aberdeen Journal Notes and queries, IV, p. 242). Boman 1504. See Boyman.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) 1 Archer.

2 Bow-Maker [Old English boga, a bow + mann]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English, Scottish) A fighting man armed with a bow; one who made bows; the servant in charge of the cattle.

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

An archer. A common name on the English border under the Percys, and derived from their weapon-the long bow.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

An archer. The family bear a bow in their arms, and also in their crest.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

A military cognomen; an archer.

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

Bowman was the name of a border clan of Northumberland (C.) now scantily represented in the county.

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

Bowman Last Name Facts

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

The surname Bowman (Arabic: باومان) occurs more in The United States more than any other country or territory. It can also appear as a variant:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Bowman? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 3,232nd most frequently held last name on a worldwide basis, borne by approximately 1 in 41,850 people. This surname occurs mostly in The Americas, where 83 percent of Bowman are found; 83 percent are found in North America and 83 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Bowman is also the 216,880th most widespread first name world-wide It is held by 1,314 people.

The last name Bowman is most frequent in The United States, where it is carried by 137,492 people, or 1 in 2,636. In The United States Bowman is mostly concentrated in: California, where 7 percent live, North Carolina, where 6 percent live and Texas, where 6 percent live. Besides The United States it occurs in 121 countries. It is also found in England, where 7 percent live and Australia, where 5 percent live.

Bowman Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Bowman has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Bowman surname grew 530 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 201 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 121 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 635 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 56 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Bowman Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is predominantly Presbyterian (35%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Bowman surname are 18.99% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 65.76% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Bowman earn in different countries varies markedly. In Norway they earn 41.38% more than the national average, earning 489,278 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 21.51% more than the national average, earning R 288,744 per year; in United States they earn 3.3% less than the national average, earning $41,725 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7% more than the national average, earning $53,162 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Bouwman9211,091/
Bowmann9281/
Bowmman925/
Boowman925/
Bowmand924/
Bowmasn922/
Bowmant921/
Bowmane921/
Boewman921/
Bohwman920/
Bowwman920/
Bowmaun920/
Bowmean920/
Bouwmann86111/
D'Bowman861/
Bouwmant861/
Bobman83130/
Bawman8339/
Bowmam8324/
Bowmon839/
Vowman839/
Bewman833/
Buwman833/
Bovman832/
Bawmann7736/
Bowmont7726/
Bauwman7712/
Boivman771/
Vouwman771/
Bowmein770/
Bowmonk770/
Bobmann770/
Bouwmanová751/
Bauwmann713/
Bowmount711/
Bohwmonn710/
Bubman6739/
Babman6722/
Bävman6710/
Bavman6710/
Bawmam671/
Vobman671/
Vovman670/

Bowman Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Bowman in the Arabic language
باومانbawman-
بومانbwman-

Search for Another Surname

Bowman Reference & Research

Bauman FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

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

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

Bowman 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 Bowman
  • 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