Find out how popular the last name Curwen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Curwen.

Curwen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Curwen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Curwen in America

Curwen is the 83834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Curwen surname appeared 224 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Curwen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Curwen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Curwen

The surname CURWEN has its origins in the Cumberland area of northwestern England, near the town of Workington. It is derived from the Old English words "cyrn" meaning a quarry or mine, and "wynn" meaning a dwelling or enclosure. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a quarry or mine.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Culwenne in the Pipe Rolls of Cumberland in 1208. Over time, variations emerged such as Culwen, Culwenne, Culvyn, and Curwen. The surname is also linked to the place name Culwen, an old manor located near the present-day village of Camerton.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named Dolphin is mentioned as holding the manor of Culwen. This is believed to be one of the earliest references to the name.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname CURWEN was Sir Christopher Curwen (c. 1450-1518), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Cumberland. He was also involved in the Battle of Towton during the Wars of the Roses.

Another prominent individual was Henry Curwen (1570-1623), an English clergyman and Bishop of Oxford from 1617 until his death.

In the 17th century, Edward Curwen (1591-1669) was a notable Quaker preacher and writer from Cumberland.

John Christian Curwen (1816-1880) was a English minister and educator who developed the Tonic Sol-fa system for teaching singing.

Lastly, Samuel Curwen (1718-1802) was an American loyalist and diarist during the American Revolutionary War, who documented his experiences in journals that provide valuable historical insights.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Curwen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Curwen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Curwen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Curwen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Curwen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Curwen, please contact us.

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