Fowler is an English and/or Scots surname. Its origin is the Old English fugelere, an occupational name for a bird-catcher or hunter of wild birds.[1][2][3] Old English fugel or fugol means "bird" and has evolved into the modern word fowl.
Notable Fowlers
Born before 1700
- Constance Aston Fowler (born "Constance Aston"), English author and anthologist
- Edward Fowler (bishop) (1632–1714), English churchman, Bishop of Gloucester
- Eliza Haywood (born "Elizabeth Fowler" 1693–1756), English writer, actress and publisher
- Richard Fowler (chancellor) (c.1425–1477) - Chancellor of the Exchequer to Edward IV
- Thomas Fowler (courtier), (d. 1590), steward of the Countess of Lennox, and spy
- William Fowler (makar) (c. 1560–1612), Scottish poet, writer, courtier, and translator
Born after 1700
- Charles Fowler (1792–1867), English architect
- John Fowler (politician) (1755–1840), American national politician
- Robert Fowler (archbishop) (1724–1801), Archbishop of Dublin in the Church of Ireland
- Robert Fowler (bishop) (1767–1841), his son, Bishop of Ossory in the Church of Ireland
- Robert Merrick Fowler (1778–c1850), Royal Navy officer
- Samuel Fowler (1779–1844), New Jersey Congressman from 1833 to 1837
- Thomas Fowler (inventor) (1777–1843), English inventor
- William Chauncey Fowler (1793–1881), American scholar, son-in-law and assistant to Noah Webster
Born after 1800
- Alfred Fowler (1868–1940), English astronomer
- Bertha Fowler (1866–1952), American educator, preacher, deaconess
- Beryl Fowler (1881–1963), English painter
- Charles A. Fowler (1832–1896), American lawyer and politician
- Charles Henry Fowler (1837–1908), Canadian-American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
- C. Hodgson Fowler (1840–1910), English ecclesiastical architect
- Charles N. Fowler (1852–1932), American national politician
- Edmund John Fowler (1861–1926), Irish soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Edward Brush Fowler (1826-1896), American soldier
- Francis George Fowler (1871–1918), English writer on English language, grammar and usage
- Frank Fowler (1852–1910), American artist
- Frank Oliver Fowler (1861–1945), Canadian politician in Manitoba, Mayor of Winnipeg
- George Fowler (politician) (1839–1896), South Australian politician
- George William Fowler (1859–1924) Canadian politician and lawyer
- Harriet Putnam Fowler (1842–1901), American writer
- Henry Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton (1830–1911), English national politician, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State for India
- Sir Henry Fowler (engineer), (1870–1938) English locomotive engineer
- Henry Fowler (died 1896), one of a pair of Victorian murderers, known as Milsom and Fowler
- Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), English schoolmaster, lexicographer and commentator on the usage of English
- Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), American zoologist
- Jack Fowler (footballer born 1899) (1899–1975), Welsh footballer
- Jack Beresford Fowler (1893–1972), Australian little theatre director
- Jesse Fowler (1898–1973), American professional baseball player
- Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet (1817–1898), English railway engineer
- John Fowler (agricultural engineer) (1826–1864), English agricultural engineer
- John Edgar Fowler (1866–1930), American national politician
- Joseph S. Fowler (1820–1902), American national politician
- Lilian Fowler (1886–1954), Australian politician
- Lydia Folger Fowler (1823–1879), pioneering American physician, activist, and professor of medicine.
- Orson Squire Fowler (1809–1887), American phrenologist
- Ralph H. Fowler (1889–1944), English physicist and astronomer
- Sir Robert Fowler, 1st Baronet (1828–1891), Lord Mayor of London
- Robert Fowler (athlete) (1882–after 1981), Newfoundland-born Olympian and world record holder (marathon)
- Robert G. Fowler (1884–1966), American aviation pioneer
- Robert Henry Fowler (1857–1957), Irish cricketer
- Robert St Leger Fowler (1891–1925), Irish cricketer and captain of Eton in the famous Eton v Harrow match of 1910
- Samuel Fowler (1851–1919), New Jersey Congressman from 1889 to 1893
- J. Samuel Fowler (1874–1961), New York politician
- Thomas Fowler (academic) (1832–1904), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
- William Henry Fowler (1854–1932), founder of Fowler's Calculators
- William Warde Fowler (1847–1921), English historian and ornithologist, tutor at Lincoln College, Oxford
- William Weekes Fowler (1849–1923), Entomologist
Born after 1900
- Alan Fowler (footballer)
- Art Fowler (1922–2007), American professional baseball player & pitching coach
- Bobby Jack Fowler (1939–2006), American criminal
- Bobby Fowler (fullback, born 1960) (born 1960), American former football fullback
- Boob Fowler (1900–1988), American professional baseball player
- Bruce Fowler (born 1948), American trombonist
- Calvin Fowler (1940–2013), American Olympic basketball player
- Cary Fowler (born 1949), agricultural conservationist
- Catherine S. Fowler (born 1940) American anthropologist
- Daphne Fowler (born 1939), English quiz show champion
- David Fowler (mathematician) (1937–2004), English math historian
- Donald Fowler (1935–2020), American politician
- Don D. Fowler (born 1936), American anthropologist and archaeologist
- Earl B. Fowler (1925–2008), Admiral, United States Navy
- H. M. Fowler (1918–2014), American politician
- Hal Fowler (1927–2000), American amateur World Champion poker player
- Hedley Fowler (1916–1944), English RAF Pilot who escaped from Colditz Castle
- Henry H. Fowler (1908–2000), American lawyer and Secretary of the Treasury
- Hugh S. Fowler (1912–1975), American film editor
- Ian Fowler (1939–2013), British journalist
- James Bonard Fowler (1933–2015), Alabama State Trooper convicted of shooting unarmed civil rights protestor Jummie Lee Jackson
- James W. Fowler (1940–2015), American psychologist, academic and Methodist clergyman
- Jim Fowler (1930–2019), American zoologist and television personality
- Keith Fowler (born 1939), American educator (professor), actor, director
- Michael Fowler (1929–2022), New Zealand architect and Mayor of Wellington
- Norman Fowler (born 1938), English national politician and peer (Lord Fowler)
- Ron Fowler (born 1943) executive chairman of the San Diego Padres and CEO of Liquid Investments Incorporated
- Thomas W. Fowler (1921–1944), World War II American Army officer, recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Tillie K. Fowler (1942–2005), American national politician
- Tommy Fowler (1924–2009), English professional footballer
- William Alfred Fowler (1911–1995), American astrophysicist
- Wyche Fowler (born 1940), American national politician and diplomat
Born after 1950
- Ally Fowler (born 1961), Australian actress
- Bernard Fowler (born "Royland Bernard Fowler", 1959), American singer, producer, songwriter
- Brian Fowler (cyclist) (born 1962), New Zealand Olympic cyclist
- Cam Fowler (born 1991), Canadian ice hockey player
- Carlos Fowler (born 1972), American football player
- Charlie Fowler (1954–2006), American mountain climber, writer, and photographer
- Chris Fowler (born 1962), American sports journalist
- Christopher Fowler (1953–2023), English fiction author
- Damon Fowler, American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter
- Dennis Fowler (living), American surgeon and hospital executive
- Dexter Fowler (born 1986), American professional baseball center fielder
- Dustin Fowler (born 1994), American professional baseball outfielder
- Don Paul Fowler (1953–1999), English classicist
- Emma Fowler (born 1979), British biathlete and Army corporal
- Graeme Fowler (born 1957), English professional cricketer
- James H. Fowler (born 1970), American political scientist
- Jason Fowler (dancer) (living), New York City Ballet soloist
- Jason Fowler (footballer) (born 1974), English professional footballer
- Karen Joy Fowler (born 1950), American fiction author
- Kevin Spacey (born "Kevin Fowler", 1959), American actor
- Martin Fowler (footballer) (born 1957), former English professional footballer
- Martin Fowler (software engineer) (born 1963), English-American software architecture author
- Mary Fowler (born 2003), Australian soccer player
- Mick Fowler (born 1956), British mountaineer
- Nick Fowler (living), New York novelist, singer, songwriter
- Pete Fowler (born 1969), Welsh illustrator
- Peter Fowler (born 1959), Australian professional golfer
- Rickie Fowler (born 1988), American professional golfer
- Ryan Fowler (born 1982), American professional football player
- Robbie Fowler (born 1975), English footballer
- Samuel Fowler (disambiguation), several men of this name
- Simon Fowler (born 1965), English musician
- Simon Fowler (author) (born 1956), British historian
- Therese Fowler (born 1967), American fiction author
- Tom Fowler (artist) (living), Canadian comic artist
- Tom Fowler (musician) (born 1951), American musician
Brocklebank-Fowler
- Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler (1934–2020), British politician
Distribution
The "Fowler" surname evolved from an original use of "Fugelere" in the early 13th Century.[3] The surname is uncommon in the United States, appearing with a rank of 250 in the 1990 Census and a rank of 267 in the 2000 Census, 27½% of the American population being accounted for surnames in the ranks of 1 to 250.[4] In 19th Century England, "Fowler" was widespread, appearing in 35 of the 39 historic counties, with higher density in the north of England, in the 1891 Census of England and Wales.[5] Meanwhile, in 19th Century United States, "Fowler" appears in every surveyed state in both the 1880 US Census and 1840 US Census, showing a higher concentration in New York state in each case.[6][7]
Fictional characters
- Sam and Amanda Fowler, fictional characters in U.S. soap opera Another World
- Amy Farrah Fowler, from the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory
- House Fowler, one of the noble houses of Dorne in the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
EastEnders
Several characters in the British soap opera EastEnders share the "Fowler" surname:
See also
Human name disambiguation pages
References
- ↑ Seary, E. R.; Lynch, Sheila M. P. (1988) [1977]. Kirwin, William J. (ed.). Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland (Google Books). Canada: McGill–Queen's University Press. p. 188. ISBN 0-7735-1782-0. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- ↑ "Fowler Name Meaning". Ancestry. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- 1 2 "Last name: Fowler". SurnameDB. Name Origin Research. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- ↑ "Name Search Results". United States Census Bureau. 2000-09-07. Archived from the original (Database query) on 1997-02-07. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
NAME (last):FOWLER; %FREQ:0.042; CUMM FREQ:27.535%; RANK:250
- ↑ "Fowler Families Living in England and Wales in 1891". Family Facts. The Generations Network, Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ↑ "Fowler Family History Facts 1880". Family Facts. The Generations Network, Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ↑ "Fowler Family History Facts 1840". Family Facts. The Generations Network, Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-01.