boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Bowen

Meaning son of Owen Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #266 Trend ↑ Rising 56%

From Welsh ap Owain (“son of Owen”).

Rank 2025
#266
among boys · ↑55 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,328
named Bowen · +20% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,322
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
1,328 babies
All-time total
13,513
#1,037 all-time among boys
First recorded
1913
in Social Security records

Bowen popularity over time

13,513 babies have been named Bowen since 1913, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 32 32 3 – #2,712
1920s – 23 23 2 -28% #3,511
1930s – 20 20 2 -13% #2,670
1940s – 38 38 4 +90% #2,516
1950s – 54 54 5 +42% #2,512
1960s – 65 65 7 +20% #2,886
1970s – 93 93 9 +43% #2,751
1980s – 171 171 17 +84% #2,142
1990s – 545 545 55 +219% #1,217
2000s 16 1,283 1,299 130 +138% #1,071
2010s 143 5,066 5,209 521 +301% #429
2020s (to 2025) 167 5,797 5,964 994 +91% #266

Where Bowen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,393 0.82 #248
2027 1,485 0.87 #237
2028 1,568 0.92 #227
2029 1,642 0.96 #217
2030 1,708 1.00 #206

Where Bowen is most popular

Boys named Bowen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.581 per 1,000. Strongest in Iowa, Nebraska, and Idaho.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Bowen born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Iowa 141 2.04 +252%
Nebraska 88 2.02 +248%
Idaho 73 1.78 +207%
South Dakota 33 1.77 +205%
Wyoming 10 1.73 +197%
Maine 31 1.60 +175%
West Virginia 51 1.56 +169%
Kansas 102 1.49 +156%
South Carolina 153 1.48 +155%
North Dakota 25 1.46 +152%
Utah 130 1.36 +134%
Oklahoma 116 1.31 +126%
Mississippi 74 1.30 +124%
Louisiana 123 1.20 +107%
Missouri 151 1.09 +87%
Rhode Island 17 1.04 +79%
Kentucky 100 0.996 +71%
Arkansas 63 0.996 +71%
Oregon 75 0.988 +70%
Colorado 125 0.968 +67%
Montana 17 0.964 +66%
New Hampshire 21 0.946 +63%
Minnesota 113 0.921 +59%
Georgia 226 0.892 +54%
Wisconsin 105 0.886 +53%
Ohio 216 0.815 +40%
Tennessee 142 0.787 +35%
Indiana 123 0.767 +32%
Pennsylvania 195 0.734 +26%
Alabama 74 0.677 +16%
North Carolina 172 0.674 +16%
Michigan 134 0.654 +13%
Texas 561 0.637 +10%
Washington 94 0.575 ≈ national
Virginia 98 0.516 -11%
Massachusetts 71 0.516 -11%
Illinois 130 0.509 -12%
Connecticut 33 0.487 -16%
Arizona 75 0.458 -21%
Florida 182 0.384 -34%
Maryland 35 0.293 -49%
New York 120 0.277 -52%
California 234 0.256 -56%
New Jersey 50 0.248 -57%
Nevada 7 0.123 -79%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Mexico – – –
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bowen

Bowen is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #266 in 2025 with 1,292 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1913, 13,513 American babies have been named Bowen. Its peak came in 2025, when 1,328 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bowen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bowen?

The median living Bowen is about 6 years old; half are between 2 and 12. An estimated 13 thousand people named Bowen are alive in the United States today.

median 6 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bowen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 36 #3,993 1,292 #266
2024 32 #4,404 1,077 #321
2023 25 #5,149 941 #349
2022 24 #5,338 820 #390
2021 30 #4,527 889 #368
2020 20 #5,895 778 #395
2019 19 #6,211 709 #433
2018 21 #5,817 709 #429
2017 22 #5,693 660 #459
2016 16 #7,312 638 #481
2015 15 #7,683 557 #517
2014 13 #8,557 492 #563
2013 8 #12,178 430 #590
2012 12 #9,203 391 #620
2011 9 #11,324 315 #722
2010 8 #12,469 165 #1,128
2009 5 #17,748 128 #1,349
2008 – – 129 #1,335
2007 – – 174 #1,071
2006 5 #17,555 138 #1,216
2005 – – 144 #1,133
2004 6 #14,464 120 #1,252
2003 – – 129 #1,160
2002 – – 100 #1,326
2001 – – 105 #1,266
2000 – – 116 #1,176
1995 – – 43 #1,957
1990 – – 27 #2,494
1985 – – 22 #2,364
1980 – – 19 #2,543
1975 – – 11 #3,269
1970 – – 12 #2,751
1965 – – 7 #3,270
1960 – – 5 #4,093
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – 6 #3,168
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 5 #4,369
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bowen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bowen?

The median living Bowen is about 6 years old. Half of all living Bowens are between 2 and 12 years old.

How many people named Bowen are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Bowen are alive in the United States, based on 13,513 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bowen mean?

From Welsh ap Owain (“son of Owen”).

How popular is the name Bowen in 2025?

Bowen ranked #266 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,292 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bowen?

13,513 babies have been named Bowen in the United States since 1913, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bowen most popular?

Bowen peaked in 2025, when 1,328 newborns received the name.

Is Bowen a boy or girl name?

Bowen is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bowen rising or falling?

Bowen is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bowen become more popular?

Bowen is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,708 boys named Bowen in 2030, which would rank around #206. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Bowen

Names that sound and feel close to Bowen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bowen with similar names → More names starting with B →