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

Fowle, 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 Fowle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fowle in America

Fowle is the 26887th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fowle surname appeared 903 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 Fowle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fowle 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 Fowle

The surname Fowle has its origins in England, where it first appeared during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "fugol," which means "bird." This surname was likely given to someone who had a particular affinity for birds or perhaps worked with them in some capacity.

One of the earliest known records of the Fowle surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The name was found in various spellings, including Fugol, Fugele, and Fowghel, indicating its ancient roots.

In the 13th century, a reference to a person named John Fowle can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1230. These rolls were administrative records that documented financial transactions and payments made to the Crown.

During the 14th century, the Fowle surname appeared in several historical documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire (1273) and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield (1347), suggesting that the name was well-established in various parts of England by this time.

One notable person with the Fowle surname was Sir Francis Fowle (1590-1675), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century. He was also a prominent landowner and played a significant role in the English Civil War.

Another individual of note was Thomas Fowle (1615-1685), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hindon, Wiltshire. He was also a renowned author and published several legal treatises.

In the 18th century, John Fowle (1726-1809) was a prominent American printer and publisher from Boston, Massachusetts. He played a significant role in the American Revolution by publishing pamphlets and other materials that supported the patriot cause.

The Fowle surname can also be traced back to place names in England, such as Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire and Fowlcombe in Devon. These place names may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname in their respective regions.

Other notable individuals with the Fowle surname include William Fowle (1610-1687), an English-born American settler and one of the founders of Charlestown, Massachusetts, and Thomas Weston Fowle (1833-1896), an American lawyer and Civil War veteran who served as a Member of Congress from Massachusetts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fowle

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!