2000
#4,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,876
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Trowbridge
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Trowbridge in England, meaning "bridge by a trough."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,988 Americans carry the last name Trowbridge. That puts it at #4,911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.0K
1 in 42,909
Census rank
#4,911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,966 bearers of the surname Trowbridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trowbridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trowbridge
The surname Trowbridge has its origins rooted in England, specifically in the county of Wiltshire, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the town of Trowbridge in Wiltshire, which was historically known as "Trowanbrycg" in Old English, translating to "bridge for trows" or "bridge frequented by trows (dwarfs)."
The earliest known reference to the name Trowbridge can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Trollebrigge." This ancient survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented the manor of Trowbridge as belonging to the King's estates.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Trowbridge was Sir Thomas Trowbridge (c. 1460 - 1520), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was Thomas Trowbridge (1598 - 1672), an English Puritan divine and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset.
In the 17th century, the spelling of the surname was further solidified as "Trowbridge," as evidenced by the life of John Trowbridge (1609 - 1672), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Parish Church in Beverly, Massachusetts, after immigrating to the American colonies.
The 18th century saw the emergence of another influential Trowbridge, Caleb Trowbridge (1718 - 1793), a prominent American merchant and shipowner from Newton, Massachusetts, who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War as a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
In the literary realm, John Townsend Trowbridge (1827 - 1916) gained recognition as an American novelist, playwright, and author of popular children's books, including the classic "Cudjo's Cave" and "The Vagabonds."
Throughout history, the surname Trowbridge has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, from law and religion to literature and commerce, reflecting its deep-rooted English heritage and the influence of those who carried the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trowbridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Trowbridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 6,332
- Two or more races3.8% · 265
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 68
- Black or African American0.8% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trowbridge
Trowbridge 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
#4,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,095
+219 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 241 places
2020
#4,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,966
-129 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,715 | 6,876 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,956 | 7,095 | 2.41 | +219 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 241 places |
| 2020 | #4,911 | 6,966 | 2.33 | -129 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 45 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 Trowbridge 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 | #4,956 | #4,911 | 0.9% |
| Count | 7,095 | 6,966 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.41 | 2.33 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trowbridge bearers went from 7,095 to 6,966 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,956 to #4,911.
FAQ
Trowbridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trowbridge?
Name Census estimates that about 7,988 living Americans carry the surname Trowbridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,909 residents.
How common is Trowbridge?
Trowbridge ranks #4,911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,966 people with the surname Trowbridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,988), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Trowbridge.
Has Trowbridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trowbridge went from 7,095 recorded bearers to 6,966. That is a decrease of 129 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,956 to #4,911.
What does the Census say about the background of Trowbridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trowbridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Trowbridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (6,332 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trowbridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Trowbridge (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 Trowbridge mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Trowbridge in England, meaning "bridge by a trough." 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 Trowbridge (2.33 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 are called Trowbridge?
See how many Americans have the surname Trowbridge on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.