2000
#452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.54
Uncommon Last name
Rowe
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hedgerow or in a row of houses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 77,784 Americans carry the last name Rowe. That puts it at #483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,406 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowe 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 Rowe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,406
Census rank
#483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 67,831 bearers of the surname Rowe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rowe
The surname Rowe originates from England, with its roots traced back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "row," meaning a row or line of houses or buildings. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a row of dwellings or along a particular street.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Rowe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Rowa." This comprehensive survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of surnames across various regions of England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rowe was particularly common in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. Records from this period often feature variations in spelling, such as Rowe, Roe, Roo, and Roo. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One notable bearer of the name Rowe was Sir Thomas Rowe (1492-1570), a prominent English judge and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another distinguished figure was Owen Rowe (1618-1686), an English Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the religious and political landscape of the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name Rowe gained further prominence with the playwright and poet Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718). His most notable works include the tragedies "The Fair Penitent" and "Jane Shore," as well as translations of Lucan's "Pharsalia" and plays by Sophocles.
Another influential figure bearing the surname Rowe was John Rowe (1764-1832), an English Nonconformist minister and author. He was a prominent figure in the Wesleyan Methodist movement and wrote extensively on theological topics.
The Rowe surname also found its way across the Atlantic, with notable bearers in the United States, such as Thomas Rowe (1786-1838), a prominent lawyer and judge from Virginia who served as a United States Representative and Senator.
These examples illustrate the long and rich history of the surname Rowe, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including legal professionals, religious leaders, writers, and politicians. The name's origins can be traced back to the early days of England, and its evolution over the centuries reflects the changing linguistic and cultural landscape of the regions where it was prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowe
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowe 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 Rowe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 51,799
- Black or African American14.8% · 10,053
- Two or more races4.0% · 2,713
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,380
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 544
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 342
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowe
Rowe 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
#478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 69,879
+3,674 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 23.69
Rank movement Down 26 places
2020
#483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,831
-2,048 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 22.69
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #452 | 66,205 | 24.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #478 | 69,879 | 23.69 | +3,674 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 26 places |
| 2020 | #483 | 67,831 | 22.69 | -2,048 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 5 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 Rowe 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 | #478 | #483 | -1.0% |
| Count | 69,879 | 67,831 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 23.69 | 22.69 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowe bearers went from 69,879 to 67,831 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #478 to #483.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rowe
FAQ
Rowe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowe?
Name Census estimates that about 77,784 living Americans carry the surname Rowe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,406 residents.
How common is Rowe?
Rowe ranks #483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 67,831 people with the surname Rowe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (77,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Rowe.
Has Rowe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowe went from 69,879 recorded bearers to 67,831. That is a decrease of 2,048 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #478 to #483.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowe, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rowe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (51,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (14.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Rowe (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 Rowe mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hedgerow or in a row of houses. 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 Rowe (22.69 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 Rowe?
Want to know how many people have the surname Rowe? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.