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Bowie Family History

Bowie Name Meaning

Scottish: from Gaelic buidhe ‘yellow’ i.e. ‘yellow-haired’ pronounced as two syllables. The equivalent term in Ireland is buí often Anglicized as boy. The surname may also be a shortened form of Gilboy . Irish: Anglicized form of Ó Buadhaigh (see Bogue ).

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


Similar surnames: Dowie, Bow, Bowes, Bowden, Bogie, Cowie, Bowen, Howie, Borne, Bowe

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Bowie family from?

You can see how Bowie families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bowie family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bowie families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 138 Bowie families living in Ontario. This was about 44% of all the recorded Bowie's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Bowie families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bowie surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Bowie ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bowie. 50% of Bowie men worked as a Farmer and 39% of Bowie women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bowie were Carpenter and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Bowie | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    50%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    39%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • House
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    12%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bowie family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 76,000 census records available for the last name Bowie. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bowie census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bowie

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name Bowie. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bowie immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Bowie. For the veterans among your Bowie ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bowie military records

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What is the average Bowie lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Bowie life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Bowie in 1941 was 41, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bowie

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Bowie family tree

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