Explore the Family Name Bowen
The meaning of Bowen
1. Welsh: Anglicized form of Welsh ap Owain ‘son of Owain’ (see Owen), with fused patronymic marker (a)p, which is normally voiced before a vowel. 2. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Buadhacháin ‘descendant of Buadhachán’, a diminutive of Buadhach ‘victorious’ (see Bohan). 3. Irish: used to ‘translate’ Ó Cnáimhín ‘descendant of Cnáimhín’, a personal name meaning ‘little bone’ or ‘little body’, see Nevin 1.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bowen in the United States?
Popularity: The surname Bowen, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, has seen a slight fluctuation in its popularity over the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Bowen was ranked as the 370th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped slightly in rank to 407, representing a decrease in popularity of about 10%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual number of individuals bearing the surname Bowen increased by 2.26%, rising from 77,078 in 2000 to 78,822 in 2010. These figures suggest that while the surname Bowen may have become less common relative to other surnames, the total number of people named Bowen has actually increased.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #370 | #407 | -10% |
| Count | 77,078 | 78,822 | 2.26% |
| Proportion per 100k | 28.57 | 26.72 | -6.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bowen
Ethnicity: The ethnic identity associated with the surname Bowen has also seen changes between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest percentage of Bowens identified as White, although this proportion decreased somewhat from 84.52% in 2000 to 82.08% in 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion of Bowens identifying as Black increased slightly, reaching 11.96% in 2010. The percentage of Bowens identifying as Hispanic saw the largest increase, up by 56.65% to reach 2.71% in 2010. A smaller number of Bowens identify as Asian/Pacific Islander or having two or more races, but these proportions too increased over the decade. The proportion of Bowens identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained virtually unchanged.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.52% | 82.08% | -2.89% |
| Black | 11.06% | 11.96% | 8.14% |
| Hispanic | 1.73% | 2.71% | 56.65% |
| Two or More Races | 1.59% | 2.01% | 26.42% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.69% | 0.68% | -1.45% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.55% | 34.15% |
Bowen ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bowen is British & Irish, which comprises 57.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.3%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.0% |
| French & German | 21.3% |
| Scandinavian | 3.7% |
| Other | 18.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Bowen
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bowen have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 88.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 87.60% |
What Bowen haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bowen is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include G-F3484.2 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Davis, Jones, Richards, Lloyd, Morris, Lewis, Thomas, Phillips, Barnes, Oliver.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bowen surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Bowen have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Bowen" Surname 44.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Bowen" Surname 28.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bowen" Surname 21.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Bowen" Surname 17.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bowen?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bowen are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition