Bowman
An English occupational surname for a maker or user of bows, later also understood more broadly as an archer.
The #296 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,940 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bowman is a transparent occupational surname built from Middle English bowe, "bow," and man, "man." It originally referred to someone who made bows or, more commonly, someone who used them as a skilled archer. In some historical records and later explanations, it is grouped with other weapon-based occupational names such as Archer and Fletcher.
History
The surname is well established in medieval England and appears in early records as a descriptive occupational byname. Over time it became hereditary, passing from a literal job title to a fixed family name. It spread widely in England and later to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bowman is one of several English surnames that preserve the language of medieval warfare, alongside Archer, Fletcher, and Bowman’s close historical cousin, Alabaster/Arbalester in older sources.
From the historical record
“SHOTBOLT (Eng.) a nickname for a Cross- bowman [f. O.E. scedtan, to shoot -|- holt] Thomas Shotbolt. — Close Rolls, A.D. 1456-7.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)