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

Drown, 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 Drown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drown in America

Drown is the 7684th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drown surname appeared 4,321 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Drown.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drown 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 Drown

The surname Drown is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "dran," which means "to drain" or "to draw off water." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for those involved in draining marshes, digging ditches, or working with water management systems.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Drown can be found in various tax rolls and parish records from Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex counties in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger Drown, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk in 1332.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Dran," "Drayn," and "Drayne," reflecting the regional pronunciation and spelling variations of the time. The Drown spelling became more standardized in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Drown surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Drown Barn in Cambridgeshire, Drown Farm in Oxfordshire, and Drownmoor in Somerset. These place names likely originated from the occupation or location of early Drown families.

Notable individuals with the surname Drown throughout history include:

1. John Drown (c. 1590-1668), an early settler in Rhode Island, United States, who arrived from England in the 1630s.
2. William Drown (1635-1686), a Quaker leader and landowner in Rhode Island, son of John Drown.
3. Samuel Drown (1772-1846), an American merchant and philanthropist from Boston, Massachusetts.
4. John Drown (1801-1876), an American architect and builder from Providence, Rhode Island, known for designing several notable buildings in the city.
5. Thomas Messenger Drown (1842-1904), an American painter and sculptor from Vermont, known for his works depicting Native American subjects.

While the Drown surname may not be as widely recognized as some others, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in the occupational and geographical landscapes of medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drown

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

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 Drown 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 Drown 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 Drown was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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