Declining since 2022, #1,227 for boys today.
Popularity of Bowie since 1920
Babies named Bowie per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0 | 5 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 15 |
| 1980s | 0 | 31 |
| 1990s | 0 | 19 |
| 2000s | 37 | 133 |
| 2010s | 545 | 896 |
| 2020s | 703 | 1,136 |
Meaning & origin
Bowie began appearing in U.S. birth records by the 1920s but remained exceptionally rare for decades. Its modern surge follows the legacy of David Bowie, and by 2021 it reached its peak rank at number 1,227, with 1 in 10,415 newborns receiving the name. Since 2022 its trajectory has been falling, yet it remains a well-known choice among parents seeking a name with a musical and artistic association. The name is most popular in states like Utah, Oregon, and Ohio, reflecting a trend toward distinctive, surname-style given names. Bowie is a unisex option, though its usage has skewed slightly more male in recent years.
The name Bowie is derived from a Scottish surname, which may come from the Gaelic 'buidhe' meaning 'yellow' or 'blond', or possibly from the Irish Ó Buadhaigh meaning 'descendant of Buadhach' (victorious). As a given name, it gained modern popularity largely due to the musician David Bowie (1947-2016), who adopted the surname as his stage name. Since the 2010s, it has seen increased use as a first name for both boys and girls in the United States.
Where Bowie is most popular
Births per 100,000 boys by state, 2025. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Bowie” around the world
Where Bowie lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
Ireland
11
babies in 2025
New Zealand
15
babies in 2025
Sources: CSO Ireland (Ireland) · NZ Dept of Internal Affairs (New Zealand).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Bo
Sibling names for Bowie
Names that share Bowie's style, for a brother or sister.
