Bow
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- BOH
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,856 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #6,442 for boys
Unisex
Bow is a name of English origin, meaning “bow, ribbon”. In 2025 it ranked 2,856th for girls in the UK (9 babies) and 6,442nd for boys in the US (13 babies).
What does Bow mean?
English: word name
“bow, ribbon”
Is Bow a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Bow has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 3 boys in the UK and 13 boys in the US.
How popular is Bow in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,856among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 9about 1 in 31,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling fastdown 62% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 9 girls in the UK were named Bow, making it the 2,856th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,780th. Its busiest year was 2012, with 30 girls. 3 boys were also named Bow in 2025 (5,065th for boys).
Half of all the girls named Bow in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 126 girls in the UK were given Bow or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #380, up from #2,856 for this spelling alone.
Girls were 62% of the babies named Bow in the UK in 2010, and 75% in 2025.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,786th in England and Wales.
Bow in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #2,856 |
| 2024 | 6 | #3,758 |
| 2023 | 8 | #3,098 |
| 2022 | 9 | #2,805 |
| 2021 | 17 | #1,794 |
| 2020 | 17 | #1,780 |
| 2019 | 19 | #1,651 |
| 2018 | 25 | #1,375 |
| 2017 | 26 | #1,356 |
| 2016 | 25 | #1,410 |
| 2015 | 18 | #1,739 |
| 2014 | 18 | #1,722 |
| 2013 | 25 | #1,402 |
| 2012 | 30 | #1,205 |
| 2011 | 14 | #2,032 |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,992 |
| 2009 | 6 | #3,603 |
| 2008 | 5 | #4,065 |
| 2007 | 9 | #2,543 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 3 | #4,976 |
How popular is Bow in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #6,442among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13about 1 in 130,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 47% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the US were named Bow, making it the 6,442nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 8,734th. Its busiest year was 2022, with 21 boys. It first appears in the records in 1980.
Half of all the boys named Bow in the US since 1880 were born between 2011 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 6,153 boys in the US were given Bow or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #51, up from #6,442 for this spelling alone.
Bow in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #6,442 |
| 2024 | 11 | #7,252 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 21 | #4,697 |
| 2021 | 11 | #7,084 |
| 2020 | 8 | #8,734 |
| 2019 | 18 | #5,149 |
| 2018 | 19 | #4,914 |
| 2017 | 19 | #4,931 |
| 2016 | 12 | #6,721 |
| 2015 | 17 | #5,285 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4,862 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5,655 |
| 2012 | 7 | #9,703 |
| 2011 | 7 | #9,593 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 7 | #9,859 |
| 2008 | 7 | #9,864 |
| 2007 | 10 | #7,586 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 5 | #10,548 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 5 | #9,008 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 5 | #6,248 |
Names like Bow
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Willow Ivy Harper Bella Violet Olive Frankie Evelyn Harlow Autumn Hallie Poppy
Other spellings of Bow
Names related to Bow
More English names
Lily Hudson Grace Daisy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hazel Carter Harrison River Ellie Grayson Jackson
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Bow: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/bow, updated 20 October 2026.