2000
#538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.63
Uncommon Last name
Morrow
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone living near a moor, hill, or heath.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,927 Americans carry the last name Morrow. That puts it at #609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morrow 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 Morrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,535
Census rank
#609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,003 bearers of the surname Morrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morrow
The surname Morrow has its origins in Scotland and Northern England, where it first appeared as a habitational name derived from the Old English word "mor," meaning a marsh or fen. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a marshy area or a moor.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was recorded in various spellings, including Morrowe, Morowe, and Morrough. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Morhou, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195.
In Scotland, the name Morrow is particularly associated with the counties of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. One notable early record is that of Rankin Morrow, who was a witness in a charter granted by King Robert II in 1389.
The Morrow surname can also be found in various historical documents, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Several individuals with the name Morrow are listed in these rolls, including William de Morrawe and Adam de Morawe.
Some notable individuals with the surname Morrow throughout history include Sir James Morrow (1590-1668), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Scotland. Another prominent figure was Robert Morrow (1715-1799), an Irish-born American surveyor and soldier who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
In the realm of literature, the surname Morrow is associated with the Irish novelist and playwright Candida Morrow (1899-1965), known for her works exploring social issues and the lives of working-class women in Dublin.
Other individuals bearing the Morrow surname include John Morrow (1865-1935), an American educator and politician who served as the 22nd Governor of Kentucky, and Sir Walter Morrow (1859-1938), a British engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the British shipbuilding industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Morrow 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 Morrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 41,484
- Black or African American14.4% · 7,769
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,315
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,712
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 369
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 354
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morrow
Morrow 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
#594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,840
+1,176 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 19.27
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,003
-2,837 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 18.07
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #538 | 55,664 | 20.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #594 | 56,840 | 19.27 | +1,176 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #609 | 54,003 | 18.07 | -2,837 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 15 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 Morrow 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 | #594 | #609 | -2.5% |
| Count | 56,840 | 54,003 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 19.27 | 18.07 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morrow bearers went from 56,840 to 54,003 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #594 to #609.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morrow
FAQ
Morrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morrow?
Name Census estimates that about 61,927 living Americans carry the surname Morrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,535 residents.
How common is Morrow?
Morrow ranks #609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,003 people with the surname Morrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Morrow.
Has Morrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morrow went from 56,840 recorded bearers to 54,003. That is a decrease of 2,837 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #594 to #609.
What does the Census say about the background of Morrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Morrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (41,484 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (14.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Morrow (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 Morrow mean?
A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone living near a moor, hill, or heath. 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 Morrow (18.07 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 share the surname Morrow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.