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Bowie Family History

Bowie Surname Meaning

Scottish: from Gaelic buidhe ‘yellow’ i.e. ‘yellow-haired’ pronounced as two syllables. The equivalent term in Ireland is buí often Anglicized as boy.

The surname may also be a shortened form of Gilboy.

Irish: Anglicized form of Ó Buadhaigh (see Bogue).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Bowie family from?

You can see how Bowie families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bowie family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bowie families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 47 Bowie families living in Maryland. This was about 45% of all the recorded Bowie's in USA. Maryland had the highest population of Bowie families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bowie surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Bowie ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Bowie. 22% of Bowie men worked as a Laborer and 15% of Bowie women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bowie were Carpenter and Housework.

View Census Data for Bowie | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    22%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    15%
  • Cook
    8%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housework
    6%

What Bowie family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 76,000 census records available for the last name Bowie. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bowie census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Bowie

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name Bowie. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bowie immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Bowie. For the veterans among your Bowie ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bowie military records

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