Bowie
Say it: BOH-ee
Girl and boyMeans from a surname, probably linked to a Gaelic word for yellow or fair5 letters2 syllables
#352
in Ireland (2025)
#353 with spellings combined
11
babies in 2025
#259
best rank (2021)
108
babies since 2015
Up 542
10-year rank change
Bowie through the years
Compare with another name →girlsboys
Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | #353 | 6 | #492 |
| 2024 | 16 | #265 | 9 | #379 |
| 2023 | 13 | #295 | 8 | #426 |
| 2022 | 11 | #354 | 4 | #634 |
| 2021 | 17 | #259 | 5 | #530 |
| 2020 | 15 | #275 | 9 | #391 |
| 2019 | 9 | #419 | 3 | #724 |
| 2018 | 4 | #715 | 8 | #411 |
| 2017 | 9 | #432 | 4 | #610 |
| 2015 | 3 | #895 | 5 | #555 |
| 2013 | - | - | 3 | #712 |
| 2012 | - | - | 3 | #718 |
| 2011 | - | - | 3 | #730 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Bowie mean?
From a surname, probably linked to a Gaelic word for yellow or fair
Scottish and Irish surname, from Gaelic forms such as Mac 'Ille Bhuidh and Ó Buadhaigh.
Say it right
BOHee
Some say BOW-ee, with the "ow" of "now". The singer David Bowie used BOH-ee.
The story of Bowie
Bowie started out as a surname. It is linked to the Scottish Gaelic Mac ’Ille Bhuidh and to the Irish Ó Buadhaigh. The Scottish form is usually connected with buidhe, meaning yellow or fair-haired, but the surname history is tangled, so the exact meaning is hard to pin down.
The name is best known through two very different people. Jim Bowie, the American frontiersman, gave his name to the Bowie knife. The English singer David Bowie took it as a stage name in the 1960s, and he is the main reason most people know it today.
In Ireland Bowie is one of the few names given in similar numbers to girls and boys. It first reached the boys’ list in 2011 and the girls’ list in 2015. The girls’ name had its biggest year in 2021, with 17 babies, and the boys’ name in 2020, with 9. In 2025 there were 11 girls and 6 boys named Bowie.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Bowie (English proper noun)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Bowie | 11 | 108 |
Bowie is also given to boys: 70 since 2011, 6 in 2025.