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Bower Family History

Bower Surname Meaning

English: from Middle English bour bor(e) bur(e) (Old English būr) ‘cottage chamber bower’ denoting either a ‘cottager’ or ‘chamber-servant’ or a topographic name for someone who lived in a small cottage or a habitational name from any of various minor places called from this word in Somerset Sussex Essex and Peeblesshire.

Compare Bowerman and Bowring. English: variant of Bowyer for a maker or seller of bows or an archer from Middle English bowyere an agent derivative of Old English boga ‘bow’.

Americanized form of German Bauer ‘peasant’ or ‘neighbor fellow citizen’ or of its Dutch cognate Bouwer.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Bower family from?

You can see how Bower families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bower family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bower families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,191 Bower families living in Yorkshire. This was about 38% of all the recorded Bower's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Bower families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bower surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bower ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bower. 8% of Bower men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Bower women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bower were Farmer and Private Means.

View Census Data for Bower | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    3%
  • Farmer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%

What Bower family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 265,000 census records available for the last name Bower. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bower census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bower

Passenger Lists

There are 25,000 immigration records available for the last name Bower. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bower immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 31,000 military records available for the last name Bower. For the veterans among your Bower ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bower military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bower family history

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What is the average Bower lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Bower life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Bower in 1943 was 39, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bower

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bower ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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