Bowes
A surname from places named Bowes, especially the Yorkshire parish of Bowes, with roots in an Old English word for a bend or curve.
The #6,791 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,159 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bowes is a locational surname. The strongest evidence points to the parish of Bowes in Yorkshire, which gives the name its surname form; later writers also connect it with Norman forms such as de Bowes. The place-name is usually taken from Old English words related to a bend, curve, or bow-shaped feature, though older sources sometimes give simpler local explanations without full certainty.
History
The name appears in medieval records as a place-derived byname, and it later became established as a hereditary surname. It is especially associated with northern England, particularly Yorkshire. As with many locational surnames, bearers could come from the original parish or from families who moved away and were identified by their former home.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted a punning family motto for Bowes-connected families: "Audax cro".
From the historical record
“mider Borrer. BOWERS. See Bower. BOWES. A parish In Yorkshire, BOAVKER. The A- Sax. hue is a water- vessel, and ' to bouke ' in P. P]o^\^nan means to wash. We still call a great BOY 37”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom