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Show ContentsBowen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Etymology of Bowen

What does the name Bowen mean?

From the Celtic land of Wales came the name of Bowen. The Welsh name Bowen is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Owen, or Owein. The surname Bowen was originally ab-Owen: the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ab" or "ap," means "son of," but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time. 1

Early Origins of the Bowen family

The surname Bowen was first found in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro), a county in south-west Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth. However, the family are also numerous in Shropshire. 2

Early census records for Wales are rare so we should not be surprised to find that one of the first records was found as late as 1487, where Lewis ap-Owen, was listed in County of Cardigan. 1

Early History of the Bowen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bowen research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1590, 1624, 1704, 1761 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Bowen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bowen Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Bowen have included Bowen, Bowne, Bowan, Bowin, Bowene, Bowane and many more.

Early Notables of the Bowen family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

  • Robert Ap John Ap Thomas Ap Owein, son of the Lord of Ynysdderne; and Richard Bowen (1761-1797) was a British naval commander. He died during the failed storming of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as he captai...

Bowen World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bowen is the 333rd most popular surname with an estimated 82,071 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Bowen is ranked the 481st most popular surname with an estimated 7,867 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Bowen is the 816th popular surname with an estimated 895 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Bowen as 379th with 16,850 people. 6

Migration of the Bowen family to Ireland

Some of the Bowen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bowen migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Bowen:

Bowen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Morris Bowen, who landed in Virginia in 1638 7
  • Griffith Bowen, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1639 7
  • Sarah Bowen, who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1640 7
  • Anna Bowen, who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1642 7
  • Phillip Bowen, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bowen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Edward Bowen, who arrived in Virginia in 1701-1702 7
  • Peter Bowen, who landed in New England in 1716 7
  • Lewis Bowen, who settled in Georgia in 1733
  • James Bowen, who settled in Maryland in 1774
Bowen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Susanna Bowen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 7
  • N. W. Bowen, who settled in Providence Rhode Island in 1823
  • Patrick Bowen, who arrived in New York in 1832 7
  • Robert Bowen, who arrived in New York in 1835 7
  • Eli A Bowen, who landed in Texas in 1835 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bowen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bowen Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Samuel Bowen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Bowen, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1755 8
  • Thomas Bowen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
  • Mr. Abraham Bowen U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 9
  • Mr. Ansell Bowen U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bowen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Bowen, who settled in Red Cliff Island (Bonavista) in 1851

Bowen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bowen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Ebenezer Bowen, (b. 1795), aged 25, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for breaking and entering, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1864 10
  • Mr. Joseph Bowen, (Bown, Brown, Joe), English convict who was convicted in Coventry, England for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Mr. Samuel Bowen, (b. 1797), aged 26, British blacksmith who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, England for life for breaking and entering, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1870 12
  • Mr. John Bowen, (b. 1801), aged 26, English ploughman who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Mr. John Bowen, British convict who was convicted in Warwick, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bowen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bowen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Michael Bowen, aged 27, a blacksmith, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Hannah Bowen, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • David Bowen, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Mr. Bowen, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Hamilla Mitchell" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th November 1853 15
  • Miss Sarah A. Bowen, (b. 1841), aged 24, British cook travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 1st January 1866 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bowen migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16
Bowen Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Bridget Bowen, who settled in Barbados in 1670
  • Jinkin Bowen, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1670

Contemporary Notables of the name Bowen (post 1700) +

  • Roger Wendell Bowen (1932-1996), American comedic actor and novelist, best known for his portrayal of Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the 1970 film M*A*S*H
  • Betty Lou Bowen (1904-1968), née Summers, British Technician in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
  • Joseph R. Bowen (1950-2022), American politician, Member of the Kentucky Senate (2011-2019)
  • William Gordon Bowen (1933-2016), American academic, President of Princeton University (1972-1988)
  • Rooney L. Bowen Jr. (1933-2016), American politician, Member of the Georgia State Senate (1980-2004)
  • Major-General Frank Sayles Jr. Bowen (1905-1976), American Commanding General XII Corps (1958-1960) 17
  • Brigadier-General Charles Francis Bowen (1889-1977), American Adjutant-General of New Hampshire (1939-1947) 18
  • Captain Stephen G. Bowen (b. 1964), NASA Astronaut with over 27 days in space and the first to ever fly on two consecutive missions (STS-132 and STS-133) 19
  • Ira Sprague Bowen (1898-1973), American astronomer who served as director of both the Mount Wilson Observatory and the Palomar Observatory
  • Dr. Otis Ray Bowen (1918-2013), American politician and physician, Governor of Indiana (1972-1980)
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Robert Bowen (1948-1985), American Warrant Officer Class III from Whytheville, Virginia, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 20
  • Mr. John P Bowen (1964-1985), American Sergeant from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 20
Halifax Explosion
  • Mrs. Ethel F. D.  Bowen (1876-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 21
  • Master Alfred Dewand  Bowen (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 21
  • Miss Clara  Bowen (1906-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 21
HMS Cornwall
  • Geoffrey Day Bowen, British Lieutenant aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 22
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Reginald A Bowen, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 23
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Hubert J Bowen, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 24
  • Mr. Fred Bowen, British Ordinary Telegraphist, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 24
HMS Royal Oak
  • Jack Bowen (1920-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 25
RMS Lusitania
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. David John "Dai" Bowen (d. 1912), aged 26, Welsh Third Class passenger from Treherbert, Glamorgan who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 27
  • Miss Grace Scott Bowen, aged 45, American First Class passenger from Cooperstown, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 27
Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. Griffith Bowen (b. 1875), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 28
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Andrew J. Bowen Jr., American Chief Machinist's Mate working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 29

The Bowen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Esse quam videri
Motto Translation: To be, rather than to seem.

Suggested Readings for the name Bowen +

  • Bowens of Virginia and Tennessee: Descendants of John Bowen and Lily McIlhaney by Jamie Ault Grady.
  • Ancestry and Descendants (including the Bowen Family) of Isaac Applin Sheppard and Caroline Mary Holmes, His Wife by Walter Lee Sheppard.
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  9. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  17. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 22) Frank Bowen. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Bowen/Frank_Sayles_Jr./USA.html
  18. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 22) Charles Bowen. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Bowen/Charles_Francis/USA.html
  19. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Stephen Bowen. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/bowen-sg.html
  20. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
  21. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  22. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
  23. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  24. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  25. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  26. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  27. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  28. Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm
  29. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html

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