2000
#466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.91
Uncommon Last name
Bowers
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bows, or an archer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,144 Americans carry the last name Bowers. That puts it at #525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowers 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 Bowers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
72K
1 in 4,751
Census rank
#525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
63K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 62,913 bearers of the surname Bowers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowers
The surname Bowers is an English occupational name derived from the Middle English word "bower," meaning a bowmaker or fletcher who crafted longbows. It originated in the 13th century and was common in areas like Yorkshire and Lancashire, where archery and bowmaking were prevalent.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, where a Thomas le Bower is mentioned. Another early record is found in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, which lists a John Bower.
The name is also closely linked to various place names like Bower in Gloucestershire, Bower Chalke in Wiltshire, and Bower Hills in Nottinghamshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals with the occupational surname Bower or Bowers.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was John Bowers, a 15th-century English theologian and scholar who was born in Suffolk around 1420. He studied at Oxford University and became a renowned preacher and author of several religious works.
In the 16th century, Edward Bowers (1550-1612) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament for Pembroke. He served as the High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire and was involved in various legal disputes and controversies during his career.
Sir John Bowers (1594-1658) was a renowned English naval officer and parliamentarian who played a significant role in the English Civil War. He served as a Vice-Admiral in the Commonwealth Navy and was instrumental in several key naval victories against the Dutch.
Another notable figure was George Bowers (1663-1700), an English pirate and privateer who operated in the Caribbean and along the coast of North America. He was eventually captured and executed for his piracy activities.
In the 19th century, John Bowers (1811-1879) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the National Portrait Gallery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowers
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowers 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 Bowers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 50,469
- Black or African American11.3% · 7,123
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,543
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,097
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 368
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 313
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowers
Bowers 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
#511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,003
+1,507 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 22.38
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,913
-3,090 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 21.05
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #466 | 64,496 | 23.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #511 | 66,003 | 22.38 | +1,507 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #525 | 62,913 | 21.05 | -3,090 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 14 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 Bowers 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 | #511 | #525 | -2.7% |
| Count | 66,003 | 62,913 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 22.38 | 21.05 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowers bearers went from 66,003 to 62,913 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #511 to #525.
FAQ
Bowers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowers?
Name Census estimates that about 72,144 living Americans carry the surname Bowers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,751 residents.
How common is Bowers?
Bowers ranks #525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 62,913 people with the surname Bowers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Bowers.
Has Bowers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowers went from 66,003 recorded bearers to 62,913. That is a decrease of 3,090 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #511 to #525.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bowers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (50,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bowers (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 Bowers mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of bows, or an archer. 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 Bowers (21.05 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 Bowers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.