NameCensus.

UK surname

Bower

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used bows, such as an archer or bowyer.

In the 1881 census there were 5,485 people recorded with the Bower surname, ranking it #812 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,186, ranked #1,092, down from #812 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wilmslow and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield, Purbeck and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bower is 7,409 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.8%.

1881 census count

5,485

Ranked #812

Modern count

6,186

2016, ranked #1,092

Peak year

1911

7,409 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bower had 5,485 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #812 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,186 in 2016, ranked #1,092.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,409 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bower surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bower surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bower surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bower over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 4,310 #656
1861 historical 4,341 #655
1881 historical 5,485 #812
1891 historical 6,411 #713
1901 historical 6,947 #797
1911 historical 7,409 #700
1997 modern 6,308 #1,042
1998 modern 6,417 #1,065
1999 modern 6,444 #1,067
2000 modern 6,341 #1,076
2001 modern 6,260 #1,070
2002 modern 6,354 #1,076
2003 modern 6,202 #1,078
2004 modern 6,180 #1,082
2005 modern 6,095 #1,078
2006 modern 6,042 #1,080
2007 modern 6,065 #1,084
2008 modern 6,078 #1,090
2009 modern 6,244 #1,087
2010 modern 6,391 #1,088
2011 modern 6,334 #1,082
2012 modern 6,199 #1,081
2013 modern 6,311 #1,082
2014 modern 6,332 #1,083
2015 modern 6,221 #1,093
2016 modern 6,186 #1,092

Geography

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Where Bowers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wilmslow, Bradford, Sheffield and Kirkburton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield, Purbeck and Wakefield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Wilmslow Cheshire
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Kirkburton Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 039 Sheffield
2 Purbeck 006 Purbeck
3 Sheffield 025 Sheffield
4 Sheffield 075 Sheffield
5 Wakefield 044 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bower

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bower surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bower

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bower, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Bower surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bower household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bower is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bower is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bower falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bower is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bower, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bower

The surname Bower is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word 'bur' or 'bure', meaning 'dwelling' or 'shelter'. It referred to someone who lived in or was responsible for maintaining a bower or small shelter, often temporary, in a woodland or garden.

The name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals whose occupation involved building or maintaining these temporary shelters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, which mentions a certain William le Bower. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Bower, such as Roger le Bower in Buckinghamshire and John le Bower in Oxfordshire.

The Bower surname is closely related to the place name Bower in Yorkshire, which was recorded as 'Bure' in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that the surname may have derived from this location, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the places they lived or came from.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bower. One of the earliest was John Bower, a 15th-century English Benedictine monk and historian who wrote the Scotichronicon, a renowned chronicle of Scottish history. Another notable figure was Walter Bower, a 16th-century English printer and publisher who established a successful printing business in London.

In the 18th century, Archibald Bower was a Scottish historian and writer who gained fame for his work "The History of the Popes". He was born in 1686 and lived until 1766. Another significant figure was Henry Bower, a 19th-century English architect and surveyor, born in 1808 and known for his work on several notable buildings in London.

Lastly, Kathleen Bower, born in 1888 and died in 1959, was a British author and playwright who wrote several novels and plays, including "Mistress Masham's Repose" and "The Circus Is Not Like This".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bower families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bower surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 2,160 Bowers recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.07x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,160 4.07x
Derbyshire 393 4.69x
Middlesex 382 0.71x
Lancashire 301 0.47x
Cheshire 300 2.54x
Dorset 259 7.37x
Nottinghamshire 226 3.13x
Surrey 169 0.65x
Hampshire 148 1.35x
Kent 95 0.52x
Warwickshire 90 0.67x
Northumberland 78 0.98x
Lincolnshire 69 0.81x
Fife 65 2.05x
Norfolk 64 0.78x
Leicestershire 51 0.86x
Devon 46 0.41x
Durham 45 0.28x
Gloucestershire 45 0.43x
Lanarkshire 41 0.24x
Midlothian 40 0.56x
Aberdeenshire 28 0.56x
Essex 28 0.27x
Somerset 28 0.33x
Shropshire 26 0.56x
Sussex 26 0.29x
Angus 24 0.48x
Glamorgan 20 0.21x
Staffordshire 19 0.11x
Oxfordshire 17 0.51x
Stirlingshire 17 0.86x
Morayshire 15 1.80x
Banffshire 14 1.26x
Berkshire 11 0.27x
Cumberland 11 0.24x
Worcestershire 11 0.16x
Hertfordshire 10 0.27x
Perthshire 10 0.42x
Dumfriesshire 8 0.68x
Channel Islands 7 0.44x
Flintshire 7 0.49x
Herefordshire 7 0.32x
Huntingdonshire 7 0.66x
Wiltshire 7 0.15x
Bedfordshire 5 0.18x
Isle of Man 5 0.50x
Monmouthshire 5 0.13x
Northamptonshire 5 0.10x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.12x
Inverness-shire 4 0.25x
Suffolk 4 0.06x
Ayrshire 3 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.09x
Denbighshire 3 0.15x
Ross-shire 3 0.20x
Royal Navy 3 0.47x
Argyllshire 2 0.13x
Cornwall 2 0.03x
Radnorshire 2 0.46x
Renfrewshire 2 0.05x
Selkirkshire 2 0.41x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Caithness 1 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.06x
Roxburghshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Langton Matravers in Dorset leads with 167 Bowers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1019.54x.

Place Total Index
Langton Matravers 167 1019.54x
Sheffield 154 9.12x
Ecclesall Bierlow 123 11.40x
Horton In Bradford 101 12.20x
Bollin Fee 69 131.70x
Brightside Bierlow 68 6.54x
Nether Hallam 66 9.20x
Bradford 60 4.67x
Wooldale 59 65.60x
Pownall Fee 57 107.85x
Leeds 55 1.84x
St Pancras London 54 1.25x
Upperthong 54 119.73x
Manningham 52 7.96x
Bingley 51 15.10x
Lambeth 51 1.09x
Chesterfield 50 15.92x
North Bierley 48 16.76x
Huddersfield 47 6.08x
Lockwood 46 24.11x
Shipley 46 16.72x
Camberwell 45 1.32x
Dunfermline 45 9.24x
Hunslet 45 5.44x
Meltham 39 47.29x
Birmingham 37 0.82x
Thornton In Bradford 37 20.96x
Keighley 35 6.19x
Cowpen 32 17.45x
Islington London 32 0.62x
Aston 31 0.83x
Ecclesfield 31 7.97x
Clayton 28 21.57x
Portsea 28 1.30x
Swanage 28 64.58x
Brampton 27 23.06x
Horbury 27 29.10x
Worth Matravers 27 475.35x
Almondbury 26 10.14x
Barnsley 26 4.75x
Bradfield 26 12.72x
Leicester St Margaret 26 1.80x
West Derby 26 1.40x
Bowling 24 4.57x
Eastwood 24 37.21x
Clerkenwell London 23 1.82x
Fulshaw 23 105.80x
Nottingham St Mary 23 1.23x
Selston 23 28.55x
Ashover 22 52.77x
Honley 22 23.70x
Sculcoates 22 2.62x
Shepley 22 75.24x
Chorlton On Medlock 21 2.08x
Paddington London 21 1.07x
Swinton In Rotherham 21 14.98x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 20 0.69x
Newark Upon Trent 20 7.71x
Pickering 20 29.95x
Saddleworth 20 4.89x
Ulverston 20 10.81x
Heeley 19 11.79x
Kensington London 19 0.64x
Liversedge 19 8.05x
St Marylebone London 19 0.67x
Toxteth Park 19 0.88x
Allerton 18 26.63x
Kimberworth 18 6.12x
Newington 18 0.91x
Ripley 18 17.38x
Shoreditch London 18 0.78x
Wilsden 18 33.05x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 17 3.44x
Chelsea London 17 1.05x
Deptford St Paul 17 1.21x
Finchley 17 8.29x
Pilsley 17 61.46x
Worksop 17 7.95x
Govan 16 0.37x
Rotherham 16 5.35x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bower surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 372
Sarah 219
Elizabeth 173
Annie 104
Ann 101
Jane 90
Hannah 88
Eliza 80
Emma 80
Ellen 71
Alice 64
Emily 64
Martha 64
Margaret 52
Charlotte 48
Clara 39
Maria 36
Harriet 33
Ada 30
Louisa 28
Fanny 27
Edith 26
Anne 23
Caroline 23
Florence 22
Kate 21
Isabella 18
Lucy 18
Agnes 16
Ruth 16
Amelia 15
Catherine 15
Rose 15
Frances 14
Harriett 14
Eleanor 13
Minnie 13
Esther 11
Jessie 11
Laura 11
Lydia 11
Matilda 9
Selina 9
Sophia 9
Beatrice 8
Francis 8
Gertrude 8
Helen 8
Lily 8
Rachel 8

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bower surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 293
William 268
George 198
Thomas 125
James 115
Joseph 107
Charles 90
Henry 85
Samuel 72
Edward 54
Harry 44
Arthur 42
Alfred 41
Albert 38
Robert 38
Walter 38
Frederick 37
Herbert 36
Richard 33
Edwin 27
Fred 27
Isaac 26
Frank 25
Benjamin 18
Ernest 17
Wm. 17
Tom 15
Francis 14
David 12
Joe 12
Sam 12
Jonas 11
Anthony 10
Edmund 10
Willie 10
Christopher 9
Matthew 9
Ralph 9
Abraham 8
Fredrick 8
Jas. 8
Jonathan 8
Joshua 8
Saml. 8
Thos. 8
Amos 7
Chas. 7
Daniel 7
Horace 7
Martin 7

FAQ

Bower surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bower surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,485 people were recorded with the Bower surname. That placed it at #812 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bower surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,186 in 2016. That gives Bower a modern rank of #1,092.

What does the Bower surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used bows, such as an archer or bowyer.

What does the Bower map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bower bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.