Fun Facts About the Name Bowie
- More than 3 thousand babies named Bowie: U.S. records list 3,519 babies given the name Bowie from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 1,285 girls received the name Bowie - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Bowie Mean?
Bowie is a Scottish surname and given name. It most often derives from Scottish Gaelic buidhe, meaning "yellow," used as a byname for a fair-haired person. Some reference works treat Bowie as a habitational surname from a place in Scotland, but the exact place is not consistently identified. The name is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic word or byname rather than a separate English word.
Bowie Name History & Origins
The surname Bowie is recorded in Scotland, especially in Ayrshire and the surrounding southwest. It developed from a Gaelic byname or place name into a hereditary family name.
In North America, the surname became widely known through James "Jim" Bowie (1796 - 1836), a Kentucky-born adventurer who moved to Texas and died at the Alamo. The Bowie knife, a large fixed-blade knife, is named after him; his surname is often pronounced BOO-ee.
As a given name, Bowie is a transferred use of the surname. The English musician David Bowie (born David Robert Jones, 1947 - 2016) adopted Bowie as a stage surname in the 1960s and pronounced it BOH-ee. The pronunciation BOH-ee is now associated with David Bowie, while BOO-ee remains associated with Jim Bowie and the Bowie knife.
How Popular is the Name Bowie?
Bowie recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2021. Its best rank was #951 in 2021.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,736 | 117 | 0.0073% |
| 2024 | #1,995 | 98 | 0.0061% |
| 2023 | #1,646 | 126 | 0.0079% |
| 2022 | #1,847 | 110 | 0.0067% |
| 2021 | #1,525 | 138 | 0.0084% |
| 2020 | #1,753 | 114 | 0.0071% |
| 2019 | #1,865 | 108 | 0.0064% |
| 2018 | #1,800 | 113 | 0.0066% |
| 2017 | #2,226 | 85 | 0.0049% |
| 2016 | #2,427 | 76 | 0.0043% |
| 2015 | #3,605 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2014 | #4,675 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2013 | #3,583 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2012 | #6,149 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2011 | #10,524 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #7,590 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #8,522 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #11,749 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #11,782 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #17,555 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,228 | 164 | 0.0096% |
| 2024 | #1,206 | 167 | 0.0097% |
| 2023 | #1,100 | 193 | 0.0113% |
| 2022 | #1,092 | 198 | 0.0114% |
| 2021 | #951 | 237 | 0.0136% |
| 2020 | #1,119 | 176 | 0.0102% |
| 2019 | #1,203 | 159 | 0.0089% |
| 2018 | #986 | 210 | 0.0116% |
| 2017 | #1,193 | 156 | 0.0084% |
| 2016 | #1,330 | 134 | 0.0071% |
| 2015 | #2,388 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2014 | #2,259 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2013 | #3,874 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2012 | #4,143 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2011 | #3,521 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #2,736 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2009 | #4,945 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #4,050 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #5,022 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #4,375 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #5,912 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #7,594 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #7,310 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #8,558 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #9,399 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #9,211 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #7,652 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #9,161 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #7,067 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #7,398 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #5,019 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #6,841 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,643 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,078 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #4,605 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,988 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #4,371 | 5 | 0.0005% |
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 Bowie 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.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Bowie's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bowie's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.