The name Bowie is of Scottish origin and means "blond". It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "buidhe", which translates to yellow or blond. The name has been popularized in recent years due to the fame of David Bowie, the British musician and actor who took his stage name from the knife known as a bowie knife. However, the name Bowie has been used for centuries before David Bowie became famous. It is also associated with the American astronaut Major Alan B. Shepard Jr., who was born with the surname Bowie but later changed it to his mother's maiden name. Despite its Scottish origins, Bowie is now commonly used as a given name in many English-speaking countries around the world.
The name Bowie has seen a significant increase in popularity over the past few decades, as indicated by the statistics of its usage in the United States.
In the early years of record keeping, from 1920 to 1988, the number of births with the name Bowie remained relatively low, ranging between five and eight per year. However, starting in 1995, there was a noticeable uptick in its usage, with seven births that year.
The turn of the century brought about an even more pronounced increase in popularity for the name Bowie. In the year 2000 alone, six babies were named Bowie, and this number continued to rise steadily over the next several years. From 2005 onwards, the number of yearly Bowie births exceeded 13 each year.
The year 2016 marked a significant turning point in the name's popularity, with an impressive 134 births that year. This trend continued into the following year, with 156 babies named Bowie in 2017. The years 2018 and 2020 saw even greater numbers of newborns bearing this distinctive name, with 210 and 176 respectively.
Despite a slight dip to 159 births in 2019, the popularity of Bowie has remained consistently high in recent years. In fact, it reached an all-time high of 237 births in 2021, demonstrating that this name continues to capture the interest and imagination of parents across the United States.
As of the latest available data from 2022, there were 192 births recorded for the name Bowie. This continued popularity is a testament to the enduring appeal of this unique moniker. Overall, since record keeping began in 1920 up until 2023, a total of 1902 babies have been named Bowie in the United States.
This trend suggests that the name Bowie has become increasingly popular and widely accepted over time, with parents choosing it for their children at an ever-increasing rate. It is clear that this distinctive name has made its mark on American naming culture and continues to do so today.