Bowen (surname) explained
Bowen is a Celtic surname representing two separate Celtic ethnicities, the Welsh ab Owain meaning "son of Owen" (Owen meaning 'noble') and the Irish Ó Buadhacháin meaning "descendant of Bohan" (Bohan meaning 'victorious').[1] [2] The Bowen lineage can be traced back to Llwyngwair in the 11th century, near Nevern in Pembrokeshire.[3] The Bowen surname was adopted in 1424. There are seven Bowen crests and the Bowen/Owen family group share a tartan.[4] [5] The Bowen/Bowens surnames are more commonly found in southern Wales, while the Owen/Owens surnames are more commonly found in northern Wales.[6]
This is a list of notable people born with the last name Bowen and people who married into the Bowen family.
- Adam Bowen, American billionaire businessman, co-founder of Juul
- Sir Albert Bowen, 1st Baronet (1858–1924), British-Argentinian businessman
- Albert E. Bowen (1875–1953), American member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Alex Bowen (skier) (born 1991), American freestyle skier
- Alex Bowen (TV personality), British reality TV contestant
- Alex Bowen (water polo) (born 1993), American water polo player
- Andrea Bowen (born 1990), American actress and singer
- Andy Bowen (1867–1894), American boxer
- Anthony Bowen (1809–1872) African-American civic leader
- Arthur "Waring" Bowen (1922–1980), solicitor who founded the charity British Rheumatism & Arthritis Association
- Arthur Bowen (actor) played Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2
- Ashley Bowen (1728–1813), American sailor and writer
- Bart Bowen (born 1967), American cyclist
- Ben Bowen (2002–2005), American child who died from cancer
- Ben Bowen (musician) (born 1976), Canadian children's musician
- Benjamin John Bowen (1915–2009), Welsh rugby player
- Bill Bowen (1929–1999), African-American Ohio state senator
- Billy Bowen (1897–1960), Welsh rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1920s
- Branden Bowen (born 1996), American football player
- Brian Bowen (born 1998), African-American college basketball player
- Bruce Bowen (born 1971), African-American basketball player
- Caroline Bowen (born 1944), Australian speech therapist
- Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973), American author and historian
- Charles Bowen, Baron Bowen (1835–1894), English judge
- Charles Bowen (New Zealand politician) (1830–1917)
- Charles Bowen (Ontario politician) (1923–1992), mayor of Brantford
- Charles W. Bowen, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
- Chris Bowen (born 1973), Australian politician
- Christopher Bowen (born 1959), British actor
- Christopher C. Bowen (born 1973), South Carolina Congressman
- Claire McKay Bowen, American statistician
- Cliff Bowen (1875–1929), Welsh rugby player and cricketer
- Collin Bowen (1919–2011), Welsh archaeologist and landscape historian
- Curtis Bowen (born 1974), Canadian ice hockey player
- Daniel Bowen (born 1970), Australian blogger
- Dave Bowen (1928–1995), Welsh football (soccer) player
- Dave Bowen (Australian footballer) (1886–1946), Australian rules footballer
- David Bowen (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricketer
- David Bowen, Felinfoel (1774–1853), Welsh Baptist minister
- David Bowen (pathologist) (1924–2011), Welsh pathologist
- David Bowen (Wisconsin politician), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- David Glyn Bowen (1933–2000), Welsh Congregationalist minister and missionary
- David James Bowen (1925–2017), Welsh scholar
- David John Bowen (1891–1912), Welsh boxer
- David R. Bowen (born 1932), Congressman for Mississippi
- Dayna Bowen Matthew (born Dayna Bowen, fl. 1980s–2020s), American law school dean
- Denis Bowen (1921–2006), South African artist, gallery director and promoter
- Dennis Bowen (1950–2012), American character actor
- Devin Bowen (born 1972), American tennis player
- Diamantina Bowen (c. 1832–1893), wife of British colonial administrator George Bowen
- Edmund Bowen (1898–1981), British chemist
- Edward Bowen (footballer, born 1858) (1858–1923), Druids F. C. and Wales footballer
- Edward Bowen (politician) (1780–1866), Irish lawyer and politician in Lower Canada
- Edward Bowen (priest) (1828–1897), Anglican priest in Ireland
- Sir Edward Bowen, 2nd Baronet (1885–1937) of the Bowen Baronets
- Edward Ernest Bowen (1836–1901), Harrow schoolmaster
- Edward George Bowen (1911–1991), Welsh physicist
- Edward L. Bowen (born c. 1942), American author of books on horse racing
- Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973), Irish novelist
- Emanuel Bowen (1694–1767), Welsh engraver
- Emma L. Bowen, community activist in community health care and fair media
- Emma Lucy Gates Bowen (1882–1951), American opera singer
- Ezra A. Bowen, Wisconsin state senator
- E. G. Bowen (1900–1983), Welsh geographer
- E. N. Bowen (1893–1959), American judge, lawyer and Illinois politician
- Francis Bowen (1811–1890), American philosophical writer and educationalist
- Gail Bowen (born 1944), Canadian mystery writer, playwright and educator
- Geoffrey Bowen, Captain in the Battle of Wau
- Sir George Bowen (1821–1899), British colonial administrator
- George Bowen (colonial settler) (1803–1889), military officer and settler of New South Wales
- George Bowen (footballer) (1875–1945), English soccer player
- George Bowen (missionary) (1816–1888), American missionary in India
- George Bowen (New York politician) (1831–1921), New York state senator
- George Bowen (rugby player) (1863–1919), Welsh international rugby union half back
- George Bevan Bowen (1858–1940), Welsh Conservative landowner and county officer
- Sir George Edward Michael Bowen, 6th Baronet (born 1987) of the Bowen baronets
- Geraint Bowen (musician) (born 1963), director of the Hereford Three Choirs Festival
- Geraint Bowen (poet) (1915–2011), Welsh language poet and Archdruid of the Eisteddfod
- Harold G. Bowen Sr. (1883–1965), United States Navy admiral
- Harold L. Bowen (1886–1967), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado
- Harry Bowen (rugby) (1864–1913), Welsh rugby player
- Harry Bowen (actor) (1888–1941), American character actor
- Henry Bowen (1841–1915), Virginia lawyer, soldier and Congressman
- Henry Chandler Bowen (1813–1896), American businessman
- Herbert Wolcott Bowen (1856–1927), American poet and diplomat
- Hilda Bowen (1923–2002), Bahamian nurse
- Howard Bowen (1908–1989), American economist and college president
- Humphry Bowen (1929–2001), British botanist and chemist
- Ira Sprague Bowen (1898–1973), American astronomer
- James Bowen (artist) (died 1774), English painter and topographer
- James Bowen (Royal Navy officer) (1751–1838)
- James Barton Bowen (1815–1881), mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
- James Bevan Bowen (MP) (1828–1905), British MP for Pembrokeshire
- James Bevan Bowen (RAF officer) (1883–1969)
- James Bowen (railroad executive) (1808–1886), president of Erie Railroad
- James Bowen (author) (born 1979), author of A Street Cat Named Bob
- James Bowen (footballer) (born 1996), English footballer
- James M. Bowen (1793–1880), first owner of "Mirador" residence in Greenwood, Virginia
- Jarrod Bowen (born 1996), English footballer
- Jason Bowen (footballer) (born 1972), Welsh former footballer
- Jason Bowen (ice hockey) (born 1973), retired Canadian ice hockey player
- Jeff Bowen (born 1971), American composer, lyricist and actor
- Jeffrey Bowen, African-American songwriter and music producer
- Jehdeiah Bowen (1817–1891), American politician
- Jenny Bowen (filmmaker), American screenwriter, director, and founder of OneSky
- Jeremy Bowen (born 1960), British journalist and television presenter
- Jimmy Bowen (born 1937), American record producer and pop musician
- Joe Bowen (born 1951), the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Sir John Edward Mortimer Bowen, 3rd Baronet (1918–1939) of the Bowen baronets
- John Bowen (alderman) (1844–1926), English businessman
- John Bowen (antiquary) (1756–1832), English painter, genealogist and antiquarian
- John Bowen (bishop) (1815–1859), bishop of Sierra Leone
- John Bowen (British author) (1924–2019), British playwright and novelist
- John Bowen (Royal Navy officer) (1780–1827), English sailor; founded Hobart
- John Bowen (pirate) (died 1704), active in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea
- John C. Bowen (1872–1957), Canadian clergyman
- John Clyde Bowen (1888–1978), American federal judge
- John Eliot Bowen (1858–1890), American author
- John Gilbert Bowen (1947–2019), British-born American porn director John T. Bone
- John Henry Bowen (1780–1822), American politician
- John J. Bowen Jr. (born 1955), American entrepreneur
- John S. Bowen (1830–1863), Confederate Army general
- John S. Bowen (executive) (born c. 1927), American advertising executive
- John S. Bowen (sound designer), American synthesizer designer
- John Templeton Bowen (1857–1940), American dermatologist
- John W. Bowen (1926–2011), Republican politician in the Ohio Senate
- John W. Bowen (U.S. Army general) (1910–1977), U.S. Army lieutenant general
- John W. E. Bowen Sr. (1855–1933), African-American Methodist clergyman and educator
- John William Bowen (1876–1965), Member of Parliament for Crewe, 1929–1931
- Jonathan Bowen (born 1956), British computer scientist
- José Antonio Bowen (born 1952), president of Goucher College
- Joseph R. Bowen (1950–2022), American politician
- Katie Bowen (born 1994), New Zealand association footballer
- Keith Bowen (born 1958), English footballer
- Kenneth Bowen (tenor) (1932–2018), Welsh tenor
- Lionel Bowen (1922–2012), Australian politician
- Lorraine Bowen (born 1961), singer/songwriter and comedian
- Luke Kibet Bowen (born 1983), Kenyan marathon runner
- Lynne Bowen (born 1940), Canadian historian, professor and journalist
- Mark Bowen (footballer) (born 1963), Welsh (soccer) footballer
- Mark Bowen (writer), American writer
- Mark Bowen (cricketer) (born 1967), English cricketer
- Sir Mark Edward Mortimer Bowen, 5th Baronet (1958–2014) of the Bowen baronets
- Mark Bowen, lead guitarist of British rock bank Idles
- Matt Bowen (born 1982), Australian rugby player
- Matt Bowen (American football) (born 1976), American football player
- Matt Bowen (musician), American musician
- Matty Bowen, English rugby league footballer
- Michael Bowen (actor) (born 1957), American film and television actor
- Michael Bowen (artist) (1937–2009), American artist
- Michael Bowen (bishop) (1930–2019), British Roman Catholic archbishop
- Murray Bowen (1913–1990), American psychiatrist
- Natasha Bowen Nigerian-Welsh writer and teacher
- Nicholas Bowen, educator
- Nigel Bowen (1911–1994), Australian lawyer, politician and judge
- Norman L. Bowen (1887–1956), Canadian geochemist and petrologist
- Oliver Bowen (1942–2000), Canadian engineer
- Otis Bowen (1918–2013), physician and Governor of Indiana
- Rees Bowen (1809–1879), United States House of Representatives for Virginia
- Richard Bowen (Royal Navy) (1761–1797), officer
- Richard L. Bowen (born 1933), president of Idaho State University
- Richard M. Bowen III, Citigroup whistleblower
- Richard Bowen (bowls) (born 1957), Welsh lawn bowler
- Rob Bowen (born 1981), baseball catcher
- Robert Bowen (politician) (born 1948), Colorado House of Representatives
- Robert O. Bowen (1920–2003), American novelist and essayist
- Robert Sidney Bowen (1900–1977), World War I pilot, journalist and author
- Robin E. Bowen, American college administrator
- Robin Huw Bowen (born 1957), Welsh harpist
- Roger Bowen (1932–1996), American actor
- Rufus Bowen (Robert Edward Bowen, 1947–1978), American mathematician
- Ryan Bowen (born 1975), basketball player
- Ryan Bowen (baseball) (born 1968), baseball player
- Sam Bowen (baseball) (born 1952), American baseball player
- Sam Bowen (boxer) (born 1992), British boxer
- Sam Bowen (footballer) (born 2001), Welsh footballer
- Samuel Edward Bowen (1903–1981), English footballer
- Sandra Bowen (born 1941), American civil servant
- Sandra Bowen (born 1976), Australian volleyball player
- Shepard P. Bowen (1824–1908), New York politician
- Stephen Bowen (American football) (born 1984), African-American football player
- Stephen Bowen (astronaut) (born 1964), American astronaut
- Stephen Bowen (biologist), American fish biologist and former educator of Emory University
- Stephen Bowen (politician) (born 1969), Maine House of Representatives
- Sir Thomas Frederic Charles Bowen, 4th Baronet (1921–1989) of the Bowen baronets
- Thomas Ambrose Bowen (1916–1982), inventor of the Bowen technique
- Thomas H. Bowen (1850–1896), South Australian surveyor
- Thomas M. Bowen (1835–1906), U.S. Senator
- Thomas Bowen (engraver) (died 1790), map engraver
- Thomas Bowen (Wisconsin politician) (1808–1883), Wisconsin state senator
- Thomas Bowen (Independent minister) (1756–1827), Welsh Independent minister
- Thomas Jefferson Bowen (1814–1875), American expatriate Baptist missionary
- Tom Bowen (athletic director) (born 1961), American sports executive
- Tommy Bowen, member of the English band White Lies (band)
- Tommy Bowen (footballer) (1900–1954), English footballer
- Trevor Bowen (born 1941), English actor and screenwriter
- Trevor Bowen (rugby), British rugby union and rugby league footballer
- Tristan Bowen (born 1991), African-American soccer player
- Vanessa Bowen (born 1974), Sri Lankan cricketer
- William Bowen (actor) (1666–1718), British stage actor
- William Bowen (rugby player) (1862–1925), Welsh rugby union footballer
- William Bowen (author) (1877–1937), children's author and Newbery Honor recipient
- William Bowen (British Army officer) (1898–1961), general
- William G. Bowen (1933–2016), president of Princeton University
- William Miller Bowen (1862–1937), civic leader in Los Angeles
- York Bowen (1884–1961), English composer
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Bowen Family History. Ancestry.com. 2021-11-12.
- Web site: Bowen Name Origin, Meaning and Family History. Your Family History. 2021-11-15.
- Web site: Bowen Surname Meaning, History & Origin. Select surnames. 2021-11-15.
- Web site: The Bowen Family. Clan. 2022-12-13.
- Web site: Tartan Details-Owen of Wales. The Scottish Register of Tartans. 2023-08-16.
- Web site: Bowen Family History. Ireland 101. 2022-12-13.
