Boys' name · since 1884

Bowman

Bowman has 1,022 recorded births since 1884 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#5,065 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,393 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,022
born since 1884
2010s
peak decade

1,022 babies have been named Bowman since 1884, making it today's #2393 boys' name.

Bowman has 1,022 recorded births among boys since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2393 as of the latest data, more common than 83% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.

  • #5,065 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,393 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,022 born since 1884
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bowman ranks #5,065 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,393 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,022 born since 1884, peaking in the 2010s.

#5,065 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,393 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,022
born since 1884
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%82.8%
Bowman vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Bowman's 1,022 recorded births place it above 88.85% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

5 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 5 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.

How Bowman compares

1,022 Top 31% higher than 69% 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

Bowman's all-time total is 177% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Bowman Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,022 369 358,536
Peak-year births 57 34 22,252

Bowman's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Bowman's SSA record in two at 1985 and the more recent half accounts for 77% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 23%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1884, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2025 peak of 57, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Bowman popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2025)
57
Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
0204060 188419241937195819902001201120212025 57

Bowman by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (300 births, 29% of the file).

2010s was Bowman's strongest decade.

300 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.

Bowman births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 300 births (29% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Bowman 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 Bowman's total volume

Bowman vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -37, 7.1%-55, 7.6%-47, 4.1%-53, 5.9%-27, 11.1%-28, 6.3%-45, 4.6%-50, 3.6%-64, 5%-114, 2.4%-51, 6.5%-34, 6.9%-120, 6%-37, 4.8%-53, 4.4%Bowman-142, 5.6%Bowman
Bowman vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Bowman by state

Where Bowman concentrates geographically, total births since 1884

Geographically diffuse
Top 5 states by recorded births for the name Bowman
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
33 3.2%
#2 South Carolina
22 2.2%
#3 Texas
17 1.7%
#4 Georgia
12 1.2%
#5 Tennessee
5 0.5%
North Carolina share of Bowman's total US births 3.2%
Even split

33 of 1,022 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 5 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Bowman? ▼
Bowman has been given to 1,022 babies in the U.S. since 1884, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #5,065 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #2,393 of 13,930. 57 babies were born in 2025, its single highest year.
Where does Bowman sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bowman ranks #5,065 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,393 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Bowman most popular? ▼
Bowman was most popular in the 2010s decade with 300 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Bowman most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bowman are North Carolina (33 births), South Carolina (22 births), Texas (17 births).
How long has the name Bowman been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bowman since 1884 -- 142 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Bowman? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bowen, Bowie, Bowden, Bow, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Bowman's data

  • Bowman's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (300 total births) through the 2020s (294) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • North Carolina records the most Bowmans (33 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Bowman

Nearby Names Like Bowman

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bowman

Bowen Boy
#266 13,187 births
Bowie Boy
#1228 2,235 births
Bowden Boy
#1947 656 births
Bow Boy
#6569 260 births
Bowyn Boy
#4513 210 births

Compare Bowman side by side: Bowman vs Bowen Bowman vs Bowie Bowman vs Bowden

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Bowman

Theophilus #2392
2,448 births · Peak 2022
Clive #2394
3,336 births · Peak 2016
Jarrett #2391
22,892 births · Peak 1998
Hart #2395
1,211 births · Peak 2025
Erwin #2390
21,213 births · Peak 1918
Lino #2396
4,188 births · Peak 2003
Viaan #2389
1,618 births · Peak 2019
Arlan #2397
3,434 births · Peak 1936

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Bowman: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1884–2025 (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 Bowman 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.