2000
#5,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Darrow
Derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "raw" meaning "row," likely referring to a row of deer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,451 Americans carry the last name Darrow. That puts it at #5,907 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Darrow 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
6.5K
1 in 53,132
Census rank
#5,907
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,626 bearers of the surname Darrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5907th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Darrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Darrow
The surname DARROW has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words 'deor' meaning deer and 'hyll' meaning hill, referring to a specific place where deer were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, dated 1195, which mentions a person named Osbert de Derhulle. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms such as Derehulle, Derhull, and Derehull in various records and manuscripts from counties like Sussex, Kent, and Essex. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a William de Derehull from Essex.
The name DARROW is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was John Darrow (c. 1350 - 1410), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Reigate in 1399.
Another significant figure was Thomas Darrow (1590 - 1659), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, and was a renowned preacher during the English Civil War era.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Darrow (1735 - 1813) was a prominent American merchant and landowner from New Haven, Connecticut. He played an active role in the American Revolutionary War as a supplier of provisions to the Continental Army.
The 19th century saw the rise of Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938), a renowned American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union. He gained national recognition for defending John T. Scopes in the famous "Monkey Trial" and is considered one of the greatest defense attorneys in American history.
Another notable figure was Frank Darrow (1870 - 1962), an American lawyer and author who served as a judge in the New York Supreme Court. He was also an outspoken advocate for civil rights and social justice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Darrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Darrow 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 Darrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 5,056
- Two or more races4.1% · 228
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 190
- Black or African American1.1% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Darrow
Darrow 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
#5,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,791
-35 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 452 places
2020
#5,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,626
-165 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,494 | 5,826 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,946 | 5,791 | 1.96 | -35 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 452 places |
| 2020 | #5,907 | 5,626 | 1.88 | -165 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 39 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 Darrow 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 | #5,946 | #5,907 | 0.7% |
| Count | 5,791 | 5,626 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.88 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Darrow bearers went from 5,791 to 5,626 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,946 to #5,907.
FAQ
Darrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Darrow?
Name Census estimates that about 6,451 living Americans carry the surname Darrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,132 residents.
How common is Darrow?
Darrow ranks #5,907 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 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 5,626 people with the surname Darrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,451), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 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 Darrow.
Has Darrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Darrow went from 5,791 recorded bearers to 5,626. That is a decrease of 165 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,946 to #5,907.
What does the Census say about the background of Darrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Darrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Darrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (5,056 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Darrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Darrow (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 Darrow mean?
Derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "raw" meaning "row," likely referring to a row of deer. 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 Darrow (1.88 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 Darrow?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Darrow at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.