2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fowlston
From a place named Fowlston, likely a town where poultry farming occurred.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Fowlston. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fowlston 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Fowlston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlston, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fowlston
The surname Fowlston has its origins in England, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "fugol" meaning bird and "tun" meaning a village or settlement. This suggests the name may have initially been a locational name for someone who lived in a village associated with birds or known for an abundance of birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Fuglestun". This entry refers to a place in Wiltshire, providing evidence that the name was already in use by the late 11th century. Variations in spelling were common during this period, with other early forms including "Fowleston", "Fouleston", and "Fowlestone".
The Fowlston surname can be traced to various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. This suggests the name may have originated in multiple locations or that families bearing the name migrated to different areas over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Fowlston include:
1. William Fowlston (c. 1490-1555), an English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Wiltshire in the early 16th century.
2. Robert Fowlston (c. 1520-1589), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Mayor of Bristol in 1572.
3. Elizabeth Fowlston (c. 1630-1695), a prominent Quaker minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
4. John Fowlston (1745-1819), a respected physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and bird species in Gloucestershire.
5. Thomas Fowlston (1810-1877), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Somerset, including churches and public halls.
While the Fowlston surname may not be as widespread today, its history reflects the longstanding presence of the name in various parts of England dating back to the medieval period and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fowlston
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlston, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fowlston 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 Fowlston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 98
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fowlston
Fowlston 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,151 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 1,151 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Fowlston 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fowlston bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Fowlston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fowlston?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Fowlston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Fowlston?
Fowlston ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Fowlston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fowlston.
Has Fowlston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fowlston went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Fowlston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fowlston, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Fowlston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fowlston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Fowlston (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 Fowlston mean?
From a place named Fowlston, likely a town where poultry farming occurred. 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 Fowlston (0.03 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 share the surname Fowlston?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.