2000
#925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,498
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.79
Uncommon Last name
Rowland
Derived from a place name meaning "rough land" or "rolling land" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 38,050 Americans carry the last name Rowland. That puts it at #1,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowland 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 Rowland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,008
Census rank
#1,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 33,181 bearers of the surname Rowland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowland, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rowland
The surname Rowland has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French personal name Rollant, which itself comes from the Germanic name Rodland or Rowland, meaning "famous land" or "renowned land." The name was brought to England by the Normans after their conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rowland surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Entries in the Domesday Book mention individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in the country during that period.
In the 13th century, the name Rowland was found in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals with the surname in counties such as Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. The surname also appeared in the Rotuli Hundredorum of 1279, a record of landowners and tenants in England.
During the 14th century, the name Rowland was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Sir Hugh Rowland, a knight who fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War. Another was John Rowland, a member of the English Parliament who represented Shropshire in 1377.
In the 15th century, the surname Rowland was found in various locations across England, including in the villages of Rowland's Castle in Hampshire and Rowland's Green in Worcestershire, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Rowland throughout history include:
1. John Rowland (c. 1470-1543), an English clergyman and academic who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
2. David Rowland (c. 1550-1644), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Welsh language.
3. William Rowland (1617-1668), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Ipswich during the English Civil War.
4. Henry Augustus Rowland (1848-1901), an American physicist and the first president of the American Physical Society.
5. Walter Rowland (1892-1957), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
The surname Rowland has endured throughout the centuries and can be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the migrations and settlements of individuals bearing this name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowland
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowland, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowland 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 Rowland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 27,683
- Black or African American7.4% · 2,461
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,275
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,182
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 342
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 238
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowland
Rowland 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
#993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,121
+623 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 11.91
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#1,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,181
-1,940 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 11.10
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #925 | 34,498 | 12.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #993 | 35,121 | 11.91 | +623 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #1,039 | 33,181 | 11.10 | -1,940 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 46 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 Rowland 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 | #993 | #1,039 | -4.6% |
| Count | 35,121 | 33,181 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.91 | 11.10 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowland bearers went from 35,121 to 33,181 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #993 to #1,039.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Rowland
FAQ
Rowland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowland?
Name Census estimates that about 38,050 living Americans carry the surname Rowland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,008 residents.
How common is Rowland?
Rowland ranks #1,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 33,181 people with the surname Rowland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (38,050), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Rowland.
Has Rowland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowland went from 35,121 recorded bearers to 33,181. That is a decrease of 1,940 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #993 to #1,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowland, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Rowland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (27,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Rowland (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 Rowland mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rough land" or "rolling land" in Old English. 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 Rowland (11.10 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 Rowland?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Rowland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.