Bowie is a Scottish and Irish surname. The name can be derived from the Gaelic nickname buidhe, meaning "yellow", "fair-haired". The surname can also be an Anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Buadhaigh;[1][better source needed] this surname means "descendant of Buadhach" and is also rendered as Bogue and Boyce.[2][better source needed] The personal name Buadhach means "victorious". The surname Bowie is rendered in Scottish Gaelic as Buidheach (masculine)[3] and Bhuidheach (feminine), as well as Mac'IlleBhuidhe (masculine)[3] and Nic'IlleBhuidhe (feminine). Early instances of the surname in Scotland, recorded in 1481, are: Boye, Bowy, and Boee.[4][5]
Pronunciation | /ˈbuːi, ˈboʊi, ˈbaʊi/ BOO-ee, BOH-ee, BOW-ee |
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Gender | Unisex |
Language(s) | English |
Origin | |
Language(s) | 1. Scottish Gaelic 2. Irish |
Word/name | 1. buidhe 2. Ó Buadhaigh |
Meaning | 1. "yellow", "fair-haired" 2. "descendant of Buadhach" |
Other names | |
See also | Bogue; Buadhach; Buidheach; Bhuidheach; Ó Buadhaigh; Mac'IlleBhuidh; Nic'IlleBhuidh |
A family of the surname, the Bowie family, was one of the colonial families of Maryland with John Bowie Sr. being the first Bowie in the colony.[6]