2000
#14,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,835
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Bow
A surname derived from a place name meaning a bend or curve, typically in a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,888 Americans carry the last name Bow. That puts it at #16,886 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 181,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bow surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 181,544
Census rank
#16,886
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,646 bearers of the surname Bow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16886th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bow
The surname BOW is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "boga" meaning a bow or an arc. It first appeared in the late 11th century as a descriptive name for someone who was skilled in archery or involved in making bows.
The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Boga" in Hampshire and Gloucestershire. Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern form of "Bow."
In the 13th century, the name Bow was associated with certain locations, such as Bow Brickhill in Buckinghamshire and Bow Bridge in Leicestershire, suggesting that some bearers of the name may have taken it from these place names.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Bow, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was present at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another historical figure with the surname Bow was Walter Bow, a 15th-century English merchant and alderman of London, who served as the Sheriff of London in 1473.
In the 16th century, John Bow (c. 1550 - 1624) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Bangor and later as the Bishop of St. Asaph.
Sir Henry Bow (1570 - 1634) was a 17th-century English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.
During the 18th century, Samuel Bow (1718 - 1798) was a notable English engraver and printmaker known for his portraits and landscapes.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname BOW, highlighting its long-standing presence and significance in English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bow
Among Census respondents with the surname Bow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bow bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.8% · 1,099
- Black or African American10.1% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.0% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 108
- Two or more races4.6% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bow
Bow appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,684
-151 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 2,086 places
2020
#16,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,646
-38 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,823 | 1,835 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,909 | 1,684 | 0.57 | -151 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 2,086 places |
| 2020 | #16,886 | 1,646 | 0.55 | -38 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 23 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bow surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,909 | #16,886 | 0.1% |
| Count | 1,684 | 1,646 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.55 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bow bearers went from 1,684 to 1,646 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,909 to #16,886.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bow
FAQ
Bow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bow?
Name Census estimates that about 1,888 living Americans carry the surname Bow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 181,544 residents.
How common is Bow?
Bow ranks #16,886 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,646 people with the surname Bow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bow.
Has Bow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bow went from 1,684 recorded bearers to 1,646. That is a decrease of 38 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,909 to #16,886.
What does the Census say about the background of Bow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (8.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (1,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.8%), Black (10.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bow (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bow mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning a bend or curve, typically in a river. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bow (0.55 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Bow?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.