Boy name · Welsh
Bowen
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname meaning son of OwainBowen is a boy's name that comes from a Welsh surname meaning "son of Owain". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a surname meaning son of Owain
- Origin
- Welsh
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #266 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bowen
As a boy's name, Bowen comes from a Welsh surname meaning "son of Owain". It is used in English.
Bowen is also a surname: the 423rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 75,672 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Bowen?
- US rank in 2025
- #266
- 1,292 babies, 756 per million boys
- Best rank
- #266 in 2025
- 1,292 babies that year
- Babies since 1913
- At least 13,187
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 5 per million |
| 1920s | 2 per million |
| 1930s | 2 per million |
| 1940s | 3 per million |
| 1950s | 3 per million |
| 1960s | 3 per million |
| 1970s | 6 per million |
| 1980s | 9 per million |
| 1990s | 28 per million |
| 2000s | 64 per million |
| 2010s | 269 per million |
| 2020s | 559 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #481 | #459 | #429 | #433 | #395 | #368 | #390 | #349 | #321 | #266 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Bowen
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- BenSon of the right hand (Hebrew, boy)
- BowieYellow (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- OwenAnglicized form of Owain, possibly from Latin Eugenius (Welsh, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
Middle names for Bowen
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Welsh
- DylanTide, flow (Welsh, boy)
- HowellEminent, conspicuous (Welsh, boy)
- LloydGrey (Welsh, boy)
- LynnLake (Welsh, unisex)
- ReeseArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, unisex)
- RhysArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, boy)
- WynnFair, white, blessed (Welsh, unisex)
- BedwyrWelsh form of Bedivere, a knight of King Arthur (Welsh, boy)
- BerwynWhite head (Welsh, boy)
- BleddynLittle wolf (Welsh, boy)
- BrynA hill (Welsh, boy)
- CadellLittle battle (Welsh, boy)
- CadfaelBattle prince (Welsh, boy)
- CadfanBattle peak (Welsh, boy)
- CadocBattle (Welsh, boy)
- CadwaladrLeader of the battle (Welsh, boy)
- CaradogAmiable, beloved (Welsh, boy)
- CarwynBlessed love (Welsh, boy)
Bowen: common questions
What does the name Bowen mean?
Bowen comes from a Welsh surname meaning "son of Owain". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Bowen a boy or girl name?
Bowen is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 36 girls and 1,292 boys in the US were named Bowen, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Bowen come from?
Bowen comes from a Welsh surname meaning "son of Owain". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Bowen?
Bowen ranked #266 in the US in 2025, with 1,292 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Bowen?
Names spelled like Bowen include Ben and Bowie.
What middle names go with Bowen?
Middle names that flow well with Bowen include Chase, Ezekiel, Francis, Mitchell and Peregrine. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

