Stowe
A masculine name meaning "place of dwelling" or "place of rest".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Stowe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Stowe today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stowe births was 1923 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stowe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Stowe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1923
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,914
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Stowe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stowe from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Stowe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Stowe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Stowe
The name Stowe originates from Old English and is derived from the word "stow," meaning a holy place or a place set apart. It was often used as a suffix in place names, such as Chestowe (now Chestow) and Longstowe. The name likely emerged in the early medieval period in England, around the 7th to 9th centuries AD.
Stowe was initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or came from a particular stow or holy place. Over time, it transitioned into a given name, although its use as a first name was relatively rare in early records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Stowe as a first name can be found in the 16th century. John Stowe, an English historian and antiquarian, was born around 1525 and is known for his work "A Survey of London," a detailed account of the city's history and topography.
In the 17th century, Stowe gained some prominence as a first name among the Puritans in England and later in the American colonies. Puritan names often had strong religious connotations or were derived from places or concepts related to their faith.
A notable bearer of the name was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the American abolitionist and author best known for her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." She was born in 1811 and played a significant role in raising awareness about the cruelty of slavery and fueling the abolitionist movement.
Another historical figure with the name Stowe was Lyman Beecher Stowe, an American biblical scholar and clergyman born in 1833. He was the son of Harriet Beecher Stowe and served as a professor at several universities, including Hartford Theological Seminary and Yale University.
In the 19th century, Stowe also gained some popularity as a first name among British aristocratic families. Sir John Stowe, born in 1825, was a British politician and member of parliament, while Stowe Boyd, born in 1846, was a British military officer who served in the Crimean War.
While not as common as some other names, Stowe has had a presence throughout history, particularly in the English-speaking world, and has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, including literature, academia, and politics.
People
Stowe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stowe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Stowe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stowe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stowe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Stowe a common name?
We classify Stowe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stowe most popular?
The single biggest year for Stowe was 1923, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stowe is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Stowe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Stowe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Stowe in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Stowe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Stowe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Stowe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Stowe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.