NameCensus.

UK surname

Bowling

An occupational surname referring to someone who operated or worked at a bowling alley.

In the 1881 census there were 1,096 people recorded with the Bowling surname, ranking it #3,627 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,156, ranked #5,105, down from #3,627 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Batley and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield, York and Chorley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bowling is 1,363 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 5.5%.

1881 census count

1,096

Ranked #3,627

Modern count

1,156

2016, ranked #5,105

Peak year

1911

1,363 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bowling had 1,096 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,627 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,156 in 2016, ranked #5,105.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,363 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bowling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bowling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bowling 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 634 #4,094
1861 historical 853 #3,248
1881 historical 1,096 #3,627
1891 historical 1,257 #3,432
1901 historical 1,274 #3,896
1911 historical 1,363 #3,523
1997 modern 1,204 #4,694
1998 modern 1,230 #4,778
1999 modern 1,204 #4,918
2000 modern 1,205 #4,887
2001 modern 1,187 #4,840
2002 modern 1,207 #4,879
2003 modern 1,175 #4,892
2004 modern 1,163 #4,948
2005 modern 1,160 #4,899
2006 modern 1,140 #4,972
2007 modern 1,161 #4,944
2008 modern 1,152 #5,009
2009 modern 1,169 #5,052
2010 modern 1,191 #5,080
2011 modern 1,174 #5,080
2012 modern 1,153 #5,077
2013 modern 1,168 #5,109
2014 modern 1,182 #5,089
2015 modern 1,155 #5,133
2016 modern 1,156 #5,105

Geography

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Where Bowlings are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield, York, Chorley, Wyre and West Lancashire. 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 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 060 Sheffield
2 York 004 York
3 Chorley 005 Chorley
4 Wyre 004 Wyre
5 West Lancashire 006 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bowling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bowling

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bowling, 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 Bowling surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bowling 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bowling is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bowling is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bowling falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bowling 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 Bowling, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bowling

The surname Bowling is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "bol" and "ing," which together mean "a dweller by the bowl-shaped hill or hollow." It dates back to the 11th century, when it first appeared in records from the county of Derbyshire.

During the medieval period, the name was found in various parts of central and northern England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire. It was often associated with people living in or near villages or settlements with names containing the element "bowl," such as Bollington, Bowland, or Bowling.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bolinges." This entry refers to a place in Derbyshire, which was likely the origin of the surname for some families.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Bolingbroke" or "Bollingbroke," a place name that later became associated with the Plantagenet dynasty of English kings. Henry IV, who reigned from 1399 to 1413, was famously known as Henry Bolingbroke before ascending to the throne.

Notable individuals with the surname Bowling include:

1. William Bowling (1590-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Christ's College, Cambridge. 2. John Bowling (1677-1756), a British naval officer and explorer who commanded several voyages to the West Indies and the Americas. 3. Mary Bowling (1753-1828), an English writer and poet known for her works on botany and natural history. 4. Thomas Bowling (1784-1861), an English industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Bowling Iron Company in Bradford, Yorkshire. 5. Edmund Bowling (1865-1941), a British military officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the British armed forces.

While the surname Bowling has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and immigration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bowling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bowling 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. Lancashire leads with 378 Bowlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.95x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 378 2.95x
Yorkshire 342 3.20x
Middlesex 95 0.88x
Surrey 71 1.35x
Lincolnshire 36 2.09x
Essex 26 1.22x
Nottinghamshire 21 1.44x
Cheshire 14 0.59x
Kent 13 0.35x
Glamorgan 12 0.64x
Pembrokeshire 12 3.50x
Durham 10 0.31x
Midlothian 10 0.69x
Fife 9 1.41x
Hampshire 8 0.36x
Isle of Man 8 3.99x
Staffordshire 7 0.19x
Lanarkshire 6 0.17x
Warwickshire 6 0.22x
Gloucestershire 4 0.19x
Dorset 2 0.28x
East Lothian 2 1.40x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.93x
Renfrewshire 2 0.24x
Bedfordshire 1 0.18x
Berkshire 1 0.12x
Derbyshire 1 0.06x
Leicestershire 1 0.08x
Northamptonshire 1 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.15x
Stirlingshire 1 0.25x
Suffolk 1 0.08x
Sussex 1 0.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leyland in Lancashire leads with 58 Bowlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 260.44x.

Place Total Index
Leyland 58 260.44x
Leeds 32 5.30x
Chorley 30 41.76x
Dodworth 29 261.03x
Holy Trinity 22 8.56x
Preston 20 5.84x
Doncaster 18 23.04x
Mile End Old Town London 16 6.97x
Batley 15 14.76x
Little Bolton 15 9.11x
Lostock 15 519.03x
Nether Hallam 15 10.37x
Rotherhithe 15 11.25x
Halliwell 14 30.05x
Blackburn 13 3.82x
Bradford 13 5.02x
Sharples 13 93.59x
Great Little Marsden 12 20.46x
Harwich St Nicholas 12 72.95x
Levenshulme 12 91.05x
Livesey 12 53.40x
Lytham 12 61.41x
Mitcham 12 36.11x
Sheffield 12 3.53x
Horton In Bradford 11 6.59x
Bethnal Green London 10 2.13x
Scotforth 10 120.19x
Walkeringham 10 381.68x
Bramley In Bramley 9 21.99x
Camberwell 9 1.31x
Castleton 9 7.04x
Dunfermline 9 9.16x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 1.55x
Lambeth 9 0.96x
Limehouse London 9 7.60x
Pembroke St Mary 9 20.39x
Whittle Le Woods 9 212.26x
Cardiff St Mary 8 7.73x
Dewsbury 8 7.30x
Northowram 8 10.67x
Rastrick 8 26.94x
Salford 8 2.12x
Southwark St Saviour 8 14.43x
Tendring St Nicolas 8 370.37x
Westhoughton 8 23.42x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 7 54.86x
Darcy Lever 7 94.98x
Ecclesall Bierlow 7 3.22x
Hackney London 7 1.16x
Hulme 7 2.62x
Idle 7 14.12x
Morton In Gainsborough 7 206.49x
Oldham 7 1.69x
Onchan 7 12.13x
Pendleton In Salford 7 4.59x
Stainforth In Thorne 7 257.35x
Stockton On Forest 7 424.24x
Thorpe Tilney 7 1666.67x
Ashton On Mersey 6 48.74x
Cheetham 6 6.28x
Chester St Mary On Hill 6 29.37x
Crossgate 6 42.77x
Eastoft 6 267.86x
Edgbaston 6 7.11x
Folkestone 6 8.40x
Newington 6 1.51x
Royton 6 15.32x
Shelf 6 58.77x
Shoreditch London 6 1.28x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 6 24.73x
Toxteth Park 6 1.38x
Willesden 6 5.90x
Bowling 5 4.72x
Hampton London 5 28.20x
Heckmondwike 5 14.54x
Otley 5 19.26x
Pendlebury 5 18.50x
St Luke London 5 2.89x
Wath On Dearne 5 23.44x
Wednesbury 5 5.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 83
Elizabeth 41
Sarah 35
Ann 34
Ellen 27
Jane 26
Margaret 24
Alice 22
Emma 17
Annie 16
Emily 12
Eliza 11
Hannah 11
Maria 9
Catherine 8
Fanny 7
Isabella 7
Martha 7
Charlotte 6
Agnes 5
Amelia 5
Caroline 5
Clara 5
Florence 5
Harriet 5
Frances 4
Ruth 4
Ada 3
Edith 3
Eleanor 3
Lucy 3
Maud 3
May 3
Nancy 3
Susannah 3
Anna 2
Betsy 2
Catharine 2
Charlott 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Lilian 2
Louisa 2
Margt. 2
Mat. 2
Rachel 2
Rose 2
Selina 2
Susan 2
Elis. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 91
William 55
James 52
Thomas 52
Henry 25
Charles 20
Edward 14
George 13
Richard 13
Arthur 11
Hugh 11
Robert 10
Joseph 9
Tom 9
Alfred 8
Albert 7
Harry 7
Frederick 6
Thos. 6
Wm. 6
Herbert 5
Samuel 5
Chas. 4
Fred 4
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Francis 3
Matthew 3
Saml. 3
Daniel 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Martin 2
Oscar 2
Peter 2
Ralph 2
Wiliam 2
Abraham 1
Ann 1
Chas.Wm.Whakly 1
David 1
Fred. 1
Fredk. 1
Geo.Thos. 1
Jno. 1
Jos. 1
Jos.L. 1

FAQ

Bowling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bowling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,096 people were recorded with the Bowling surname. That placed it at #3,627 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bowling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,156 in 2016. That gives Bowling a modern rank of #5,105.

What does the Bowling surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who operated or worked at a bowling alley.

What does the Bowling map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bowling 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.