2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Charnow
A toponymic name referring to someone from a location called Charnow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Charnow. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Charnow 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.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Charnow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Charnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Charnow
The surname CHARNOW is of English origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Charnock in Lancashire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "cerra" meaning "turn" and "ac" meaning "oak," suggesting a connection to a location with an oak tree at a bend or turn.
In early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Charnock, Charnocke, and Charnowke, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1311, where a Robert de Charnok is mentioned.
The CHARNOW surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Robert Charnock (1545-1624), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Preston during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another significant figure was Thomas Charnock (1685-1737), an English Jacobite and author who wrote "The Illustrious Prodigal," a novel published in 1722. He was involved in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 and was captured and imprisoned after the Battle of Preston.
In the 19th century, Richard Stephens Charnock (1820-1906) was a notable English-born Australian pioneer and explorer. He is credited with discovering the Gympie Goldfield in Queensland, Australia, in 1867, leading to a significant gold rush in the region.
The name CHARNOW has also been associated with the Charnock family of Holcombe, Lancashire. One of their descendants, Robert Charnock (1663-1692), was implicated in the Assassination Plot against King William III and was executed for treason in 1696.
Another notable bearer of the CHARNOW surname was John Charnock (1756-1807), an English naval officer and the founder of Calcutta, India. He served as the head of the British East India Company's governing council in Bengal and oversaw the acquisition of land from local rulers to establish the city of Calcutta.
While the CHARNOW surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and settlement patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the village of Charnock in Lancashire, and it has a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charnow
Among Census respondents with the surname Charnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Charnow 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 Charnow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Charnow
Charnow 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,281 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+9 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 16,281 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 6,607 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 Charnow 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 | #149,395 | #142,788 | 4.4% |
| Count | 110 | 119 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Charnow bearers went from 110 to 119 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 6,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,788.
FAQ
Charnow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Charnow?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Charnow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Charnow?
Charnow ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Charnow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Charnow.
Has Charnow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Charnow went from 110 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 9 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Charnow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Charnow, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Charnow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Charnow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Hispanic (10.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Charnow (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 Charnow mean?
A toponymic name referring to someone from a location called Charnow. 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 Charnow (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Charnow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.