Unisex name · since 1920
Bowie
2,235 babies named Bowie in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 2021. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,072 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,228 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,235
- born since 1920
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Bowie is the #1228 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 2,235 recorded since 1920.
Social Security Administration records show Bowie recorded 2,235 times among boys since 1920, holding rank #1228 nationally today, ahead of 91% of boys, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #3,072 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,228 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,235 born since 1920
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bowie ranks #3,072 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,228 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,235 born since 1920, peaking in the 2020s.
- #3,072 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,228 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,235
- born since 1920
- 2020s
- peak decade
Bowie's 2,235 recorded births place it above 93.24% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
24 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Bowie compares
2,235 Top 21% higher than 79% of 13,930 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
Bowie's all-time total is 6x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bowie | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,235 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 237 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bowie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bowie's full recorded timeline at 2007, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1920, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2021 peak of 237 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bowie popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (2021)
- 237
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Bowie popularity over time - girls
1,285 total births recorded since 2006 (Bowie as girls' name)
Bowie by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (1,136 births, 51% of the file).
2020s was Bowie's strongest decade.
1,136 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Bowie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1970s 15
1970s
15 births
- 1980s 31
1980s
31 births
- 1990s 19
1990s
19 births
- 2000s 133
2000s
133 births
- 2010s
2010s
896 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,136 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 1,136 births (51% of all-time use).
How Bowie compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bowie's total volume
Bowie by state
Where Bowie concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 417 | 18.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 128 | 5.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 106 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 75 | 3.4% |
| #5 | Washington | | 75 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Florida | | 70 | 3.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 61 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 59 | 2.6% |
417 of 2,235 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 24 reporting states.
Bowie appears in 24 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Bowie's data
- California records the most Bowies (417 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bowie
Nearby Names Like Bowie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bowie
Compare Bowie side by side: Bowie vs Bowen Bowie vs Bowman Bowie vs Bowden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bowie
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bowie: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2021)
Similar record span (~105 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1920–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Bowie 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 August 2026.