Fun Facts About the Name Bow
- 265 babies named Bow: U.S. records list 265 babies given the name Bow from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Bow - about 1 girl for every 52 boys.
What Does the Name Bow Mean?
Bow is an English word name, spelled the same as the English noun for an archery bow and the verb meaning "to bend or stoop." The noun comes from Old English boga, "bow, arch"; the verb comes from Old English bugan, "to bend, bow, submit." The personal name has no separate documented etymology, so its meaning is best treated as one of these literal word senses rather than as a fixed traditional name meaning.
Bow Name History & Origins
The noun boga is recorded in Old English for a bow used in shooting and for an arch or curve. The verb bugan is also old, meaning "to bend, stoop, or submit." Later English spelling brought the noun and verb together as bow, while their pronunciations remained distinct: the weapon is commonly BOH, and the bending gesture is commonly BOW, rhyming with cow.
For the given name, the relevant history is the history of the English word. The available evidence does not establish a separate personal-name etymology or a distinct set of medieval personal-name forms. The name is therefore best explained through the Old English noun and verb.
How Popular is the Name Bow?
Bow has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #4,726 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #16,978 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,506 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #7,293 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #4,726 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2021 | #7,154 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #8,845 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #5,184 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #4,942 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #4,961 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #6,776 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #5,321 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #4,895 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #5,695 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #9,834 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #9,744 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #10,934 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,999 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #9,991 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #7,663 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,052 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #10,760 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #9,159 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,245 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1982 | #5,714 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,356 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bow Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Bow's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bow's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.