2000
#1,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,938
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.62
Uncommon Last name
Bowling
An occupational surname referring to someone who operated or worked at a bowling alley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,885 Americans carry the last name Bowling. That puts it at #1,384 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bowling 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 Bowling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,866
Census rank
#1,384
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,189 bearers of the surname Bowling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1384th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bowling
The surname Bowling is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bol" and "ing," which together mean "a dweller by the bowl-shaped hill or hollow." It dates back to the 11th century, when it first appeared in records from the county of Derbyshire.
During the medieval period, the name was found in various parts of central and northern England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. It was often associated with people living in or near villages or settlements with names containing the element "bowl," such as Bollington, Bowland, or Bowling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bolinges." This entry refers to a place in Derbyshire, which was likely the origin of the surname for some families.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Bolingbroke" or "Bollingbroke," a place name that later became associated with the Plantagenet dynasty of English kings. Henry IV, who reigned from 1399 to 1413, was famously known as Henry Bolingbroke before ascending to the throne.
Notable individuals with the surname Bowling include:
1. William Bowling (1590-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge.
2. John Bowling (1677-1756), a British naval officer and explorer who commanded several voyages to the West Indies and the Americas.
3. Mary Bowling (1753-1828), an English writer and poet known for her works on botany and natural history.
4. Thomas Bowling (1784-1861), an English industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Bowling Iron Company in Bradford, Yorkshire.
5. Edmund Bowling (1865-1941), a British military officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the British armed forces.
While the surname Bowling has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bowling
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bowling 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 Bowling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 22,342
- Black or African American4.5% · 1,122
- Two or more races3.8% · 959
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 545
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 108
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bowling
Bowling 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
#1,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,762
+824 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 9.07
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#1,384
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,189
-1,573 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 8.43
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,243 | 25,938 | 9.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,311 | 26,762 | 9.07 | +824 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #1,384 | 25,189 | 8.43 | -1,573 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 73 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 Bowling 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 | #1,311 | #1,384 | -5.6% |
| Count | 26,762 | 25,189 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.07 | 8.43 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bowling bearers went from 26,762 to 25,189 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,311 to #1,384.
FAQ
Bowling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bowling?
Name Census estimates that about 28,885 living Americans carry the surname Bowling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,866 residents.
How common is Bowling?
Bowling ranks #1,384 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,189 people with the surname Bowling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,885), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Bowling.
Has Bowling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bowling went from 26,762 recorded bearers to 25,189. That is a decrease of 1,573 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,311 to #1,384.
What does the Census say about the background of Bowling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bowling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (22,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bowling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bowling (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 Bowling mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who operated or worked at a bowling alley. 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 Bowling (8.43 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 Bowling?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.