The surname Bowron emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages.
As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain.
In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people travelled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. Occupational surnames were derived from the common trades of the medieval era.
The surname Bowron is an occupational name for a chamber-servant. It is derived from buring which is a derivative of the Old English word bur, which means cottage, chamber, or bower.
The name may also be a local surname applied to someone who lived at such a cottage or chamber. Occasionally, Bowron is a patronymic surname derived from the Flemish personal name ‘Beauring’.
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times, when most people were illiterate. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated.
The name has been spelled Bowering, Bowring, Bawering, Bawring, Bowerin, Bowrin, Boweren, Bowerring, Bourring and many more.
First found in Somerset where they were seated from early times, Bowrons were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:
Mary Bowring settled in Maryland in 1719.
In Newfoundland, James Bowering of Chard, Somerset, England, settled at Coley's Point in 1812 Benjamin Bowring from Devon, England, settled in St. John's in 1811.
There is a Bowring Cove in Labrador.