Total births
260
Boys' name · since 1980
Bow
Bow has 260 recorded births since 1980 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2022 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7402
- among boys today
- 260
- born since 1980
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 48%
- more common than other boys
Bow currently ranks #7402 among boys' names in America, with 260 babies recorded since 1980.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bow has been recorded 260 times among boys since 1980, currently ranked #7402 nationally and more common than 48% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1980 to 2025.
- #7402 among boys today
- 260 born since 1980
- 2010s peak decade
- 48% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bow is currently the #7402 boys' name in America, more common than 48% of boys - 260 born since 1980, peaking in the 2010s.
- #7402
- among boys today
- 260
- born since 1980
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 48%
- more common than other boys
Bow vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#7402
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 48% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
53% of everyone ever named Bow was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
21 babies were named Bow in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Bow compares
260 43th percentile among 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bow's all-time total is 29% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bow | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 260 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 21 | 23 | 22,252 |
Bow's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bow splits its recorded history at 2013: 70% of all births land in the more recent half, 30% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1980 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 21 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bow at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2022
Current rank
#7,402
Active since
1980
Bow popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1980–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 21
- Annual births at peak, across 46 years of records
Bow popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 2013 (Bow as girls' name)
Bow by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Bow's strongest decade.
139 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 53% of all-time use.
Bow births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
- 1990s 10
1990s
10 births
- 2000s 36
2000s
36 births
- 2010s
2010s
139 births
- 2020s
2020s
64 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 139 births (53% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bow? ▼
260 babies have been named Bow since 1980. It currently ranks #7402 among boys. The peak year was 2022 with 21 births.
When was Bow most popular? ▼
Bow was most popular in the 2010s decade with 139 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
How long has the name Bow been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bow since 1980 -- 46 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Bow? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bowen, Bowie, Bowman, Bowden, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bow's data
- Bow's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (139 total births) through the 2020s (64) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bow
Nearby Names Like Bow
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bow
Bowen Boy
#321 13,187 births
Bowie Boy
#1213 2,235 births
Bowman Boy
#2506 1,022 births
Bowden Boy
#2620 656 births
Bowyn Boy
#5205 210 births
Compare Bow side by side: Bow vs Bowen Bow vs Bowie Bow vs Bowman
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bow
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1980–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bow: #7402 Boys' Name - 260 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bow. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bow draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.