2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fowlin
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "faucon," meaning someone who kept or hunted falcons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Fowlin. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fowlin 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Fowlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fowlin
The surname FOWLIN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "fowler," which referred to a person who hunted or caught wildfowl, such as ducks and geese, for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FOWLIN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1198, where a certain William le Foulere is mentioned. This spelling variation, "le Foulere," further reinforces the connection to the occupation of fowling or bird hunting.
In the 13th century, the surname FOWLIN appeared in various manorial records and tax rolls across several counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name was fairly widespread during this time period.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contain a reference to a John le Fouwelere, which is another variation of the name. These rolls were a record of landholders and their holdings throughout England, compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
One notable bearer of the FOWLIN surname was Sir John Fowlin, a Knight of the Shire who represented Oxfordshire in the Parliament of 1328. He was born around 1290 and died in 1349.
Another individual of historical significance was Richard Fowlin, a 15th-century English clergyman and scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1461 to 1465. He was born in Oxfordshire in 1410 and passed away in 1467.
In the 16th century, the FOWLIN surname can be found in various parish records and court documents. For instance, a certain Thomas Fowlin was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1523.
The FOWLIN name also appeared in the Visitation of Hertfordshire in 1572, which recorded the pedigrees of the county's landed gentry. This suggests that by this time, some members of the FOWLIN family had achieved a certain level of status and wealth.
One notable bearer of the FOWLIN surname during the 17th century was William Fowlin, a English merchant and explorer who was involved in the early colonization of Virginia in North America. He was born in London in 1602 and died in the Virginia Colony in 1650.
While the FOWLIN surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and the occupation of fowling or bird hunting. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including knights, clergymen, merchants, and explorers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fowlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fowlin 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 Fowlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.6% · 93
- White9.6% · 11
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fowlin
Fowlin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 6,133 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 Fowlin 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 | #152,628 | #146,495 | 4.0% |
| Count | 107 | 114 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fowlin bearers went from 107 to 114 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 6,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #146,495.
FAQ
Fowlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fowlin?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Fowlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Fowlin?
Fowlin ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Fowlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Fowlin.
Has Fowlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fowlin went from 107 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Fowlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.6%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fowlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fowlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.6%), White (9.6%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Fowlin (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 Fowlin mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "faucon," meaning someone who kept or hunted falcons. 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 Fowlin (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 people are called Fowlin?
See how many people have the last name Fowlin on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.