2000
#10,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Garrow
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "triangular piece of land" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,964 Americans carry the last name Garrow. That puts it at #11,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garrow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Garrow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,639
Census rank
#11,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,585 bearers of the surname Garrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garrow
The surname Garrow has its origins in England, with roots that can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gara," meaning "triangular piece of land," or the Old Norse word "gera," meaning "a triangular strip of land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or owned a triangular plot of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Gara" and "Gare." Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms, such as Garrow, Garrawe, and Garrowe.
In the 13th century, the name Garrow can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, where it is recorded as "Garewe." This indicates that the name was present in the county of Norfolk during that period.
In the 14th century, the name Garrow appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Garrow was Sir William Garrow (1760-1840), an English lawyer and judge who played a significant role in reforming the English legal system. He is credited with introducing the concept of allowing defendants to be represented by counsel in felony cases.
Another prominent individual with the surname Garrow was David Garrow (1786-1875), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Royal Institution and the Commercial Bank of Scotland.
In the 19th century, John Garrow (1810-1886), an English surgeon, made significant contributions to the field of medicine, particularly in the treatment of diseases of the eye.
The surname Garrow also appears in the arts, with William Garrow (1839-1898), an English painter known for his landscapes and marine scenes.
In the 20th century, David J. Garrow (born 1953) is a notable American historian and biographer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his work on Martin Luther King Jr.
While the surname Garrow has evolved over the centuries and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the Old English and Old Norse words related to triangular pieces of land, reflecting the name's connection to the geographical features of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Garrow 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 Garrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 2,207
- Two or more races5.4% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.2% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 50
- Black or African American1.5% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garrow
Garrow 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
#11,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
+91 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 479 places
2020
#11,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,585
-185 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,904 | 2,679 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,383 | 2,770 | 0.94 | +91 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 479 places |
| 2020 | #11,619 | 2,585 | 0.86 | -185 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 236 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 Garrow 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 | #11,383 | #11,619 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,770 | 2,585 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.86 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garrow bearers went from 2,770 to 2,585 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,383 to #11,619.
FAQ
Garrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garrow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,964 living Americans carry the surname Garrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,639 residents.
How common is Garrow?
Garrow ranks #11,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,585 people with the surname Garrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Garrow.
Has Garrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garrow went from 2,770 recorded bearers to 2,585. That is a decrease of 185 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,383 to #11,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Garrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%). 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 Garrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (2,207 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%). 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 Garrow (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 Garrow mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "triangular piece of land" in Old English. 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 Garrow (0.86 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 Garrow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.