2000
#8,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Garwood
A locational surname referring to someone from Garwood, a place in England meaning "enclosed settlement by a triangular wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,866 Americans carry the last name Garwood. That puts it at #9,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garwood 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 Garwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,659
Census rank
#9,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,371 bearers of the surname Garwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garwood
The surname Garwood is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from two Old English words: 'gara', meaning a triangular piece of land, and 'wudu', meaning a wood or forest. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a triangular-shaped wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garwood can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1175, where a person named Willelmus de Garewude is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the Garwood surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which were census-like records from the period. These rolls documented a John de Garwode, suggesting the name's presence in the region.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Garwood surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the name's formation, such as Garwood in Buckinghamshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Garwood surname was Sir Thomas Garwood (c. 1490 - 1555), a prominent English politician and courtier during the reign of King Henry VIII. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1555.
Another notable figure was John Garwood (1575 - 1648), an English minister and religious writer who authored several works, including "The Maintenance of the True Religion" and "A Treatise of Baptism."
In the 18th century, Caleb Garwood (1696 - 1776) was a renowned English surveyor and cartographer. He is best known for his detailed maps of various counties in England, including Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Sir Michael Garwood (1804 - 1886) was a British naval officer and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Guildford from 1857 to 1865.
Lastly, Edmund Garwood (1879 - 1964) was a British geologist and professor at University College London. He made significant contributions to the study of sedimentary rocks and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1928.
These examples demonstrate the long-standing presence of the Garwood surname in England and the diverse fields in which individuals bearing this name have made their mark throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Garwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Garwood 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 Garwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 2,936
- Black or African American6.5% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 94
- Two or more races2.5% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garwood
Garwood 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
#9,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,626
+65 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 498 places
2020
#9,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,371
-255 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,519 | 3,561 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,017 | 3,626 | 1.23 | +65 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 498 places |
| 2020 | #9,265 | 3,371 | 1.13 | -255 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 248 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 Garwood 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 | #9,017 | #9,265 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,626 | 3,371 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.13 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garwood bearers went from 3,626 to 3,371 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,017 to #9,265.
FAQ
Garwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garwood?
Name Census estimates that about 3,866 living Americans carry the surname Garwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,659 residents.
How common is Garwood?
Garwood ranks #9,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,371 people with the surname Garwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Garwood.
Has Garwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garwood went from 3,626 recorded bearers to 3,371. That is a decrease of 255 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,017 to #9,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Garwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Garwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (2,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (6.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Garwood (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 Garwood mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Garwood, a place in England meaning "enclosed settlement by a triangular wood." 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 Garwood (1.13 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 common is the surname Garwood?
Want to know how common the surname Garwood is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.