Bowen Family History

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Bowen Name Meaning

English, of Welsh origin: Anglicized form of Welsh ap Owain ‘son of Owain’ (see Owen). Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Buadhacháin ‘descendant of Buadhachán’, a diminutive of Buadhach ‘victorious’ (see Bohan).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Owen, Boden, Bowden, Bowes, Mowen, Bolen, Bowens, Howen, Gowen, Bohen

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Bowen Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Bowen name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Bowen. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    53%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    21%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Bowen Family Origin

Where is the Bowen family from?

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You can see how Bowen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bowen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bowen families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,532 Bowen families living in Glamorgan. This was about 21% of all the recorded Bowen's in the UK. Glamorgan had the highest population of Bowen families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bowen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Bowen

Bowen Family Occupations

What did your Bowen ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Bowen occupation in the UK was Farmer. 8% of Bowen's were Farmers. Farmer, Coal Miner and Agricultural Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Bowen. A less common occupation for the Bowen family was Labourer.

View Census data for Bowen | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    8%

  • Coal Miner

    8%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    3%

  • Labourer

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Bowen ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Bowen Historical Records

What Bowen family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 529,000 census records available for the last name Bowen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bowen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Bowen

Passenger List

There are 47,000 immigration records available for the last name Bowen. 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 Bowen immigration records

Draft Card

There are 96,000 military records available for the last name Bowen. For the veterans among your Bowen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bowen military records

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Bowen Life Expectancy

What is the average Bowen lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Bowen life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Bowen in 1940 was 45, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bowen

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bowen 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.

Famous Bowen Family Ancestors

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