2000
#267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 38.04
Common Last name
Fowler
An occupational surname referring to a bird catcher or hunter of wild fowl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 113,824 Americans carry the last name Fowler. That puts it at #312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 33.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fowler surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fowler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
114K
1 in 3,011
Census rank
#312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
33.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99,260 bearers of the surname Fowler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 33.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowler, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fowler
The surname Fowler has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "fugelere," which means "hunter of wildfowl or birds." The name is occupational in nature, indicating that early bearers of this surname were employed as fowlers, individuals who caught wild birds for food or sport.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Fowler can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions individuals with the surname Fowler living in various counties, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Fowler was often spelled in various ways, such as Foulere, Fowlere, and Fouler, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions of the time. Some examples of place names associated with the surname include Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire and Fowlshaw in Lancashire, which likely derived their names from individuals with the Fowler surname residing in those areas.
One notable historical figure with the surname Fowler was John Fowler (1537-1579), an English printer and scholar who was involved in the production of the Geneva Bible, one of the most influential English translations of the Bible during the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Fowler (1585-1663), an English politician and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1650. He was also a member of the East India Company and played a significant role in the expansion of British trade and influence in the East.
In the realm of literature, Sarah Fowler (1779-1853) was an English writer and philanthropist who authored several books, including "The Poetical Works of Mrs. Fowler" and "Memoirs of the Life of Miss Caroline E. Smelt."
John Fowler (1826-1864) was an English inventor and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of steam-powered agricultural machinery. He founded the company Fowler's Steam Plough Works, which became a leading manufacturer of steam engines and ploughs in the 19th century.
Henry Hartley Fowler (1830-1911) was a British politician and lawyer who served as the Secretary of State for India from 1894 to 1895. He was also a member of the Liberal Party and played a prominent role in British politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fowler
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowler, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fowler bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fowler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 77,790
- Black or African American12.6% · 12,531
- Two or more races4.2% · 4,198
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3,214
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 914
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 613
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fowler
Fowler appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104,515
+1,895 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 35.43
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99,260
-5,255 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 33.21
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #267 | 102,620 | 38.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #299 | 104,515 | 35.43 | +1,895 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #312 | 99,260 | 33.21 | -5,255 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 13 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fowler surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #299 | #312 | -4.3% |
| Count | 104,515 | 99,260 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 35.43 | 33.21 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fowler bearers went from 104,515 to 99,260 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #299 to #312.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fowler
FAQ
Fowler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fowler?
Name Census estimates that about 113,824 living Americans carry the surname Fowler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,011 residents.
How common is Fowler?
Fowler ranks #312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 33.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 33 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99,260 people with the surname Fowler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (113,824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 33.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 33.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 33 of them to have the surname Fowler.
Has Fowler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fowler went from 104,515 recorded bearers to 99,260. That is a decrease of 5,255 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #299 to #312.
What does the Census say about the background of Fowler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowler, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fowler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (77,790 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fowler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fowler (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fowler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a bird catcher or hunter of wild fowl. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fowler (33.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Fowler?
Want to know how many people are called Fowler? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.