2000
#4,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,469
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.40
Rare Last name
Gower
An English locational surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire or from the district of Gower in Wales.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,182 Americans carry the last name Gower. That puts it at #5,377 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gower 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 Gower with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,724
Census rank
#5,377
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,263 bearers of the surname Gower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5377th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gower, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gower
The surname Gower originated in England during the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gara," meaning "triangular piece of land." The name refers to someone who lived near a triangular plot of land or a specific area known as "Gower" in South Wales.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Gower dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gouard." This suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Gower was John Gower, an English poet and contemporary of Geoffrey Chaucer. Born around 1330, Gower was a significant contributor to medieval English literature and is best known for his works "Confessio Amantis" and "Vox Clamantis."
Another prominent individual with the Gower surname was Sir Erasmus Gower, an English politician and landowner who lived from 1617 to 1689. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a role in the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, John Gower, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the fields of science and navigation. He was born in 1675 and is known for his work on calculating the positions of celestial bodies.
The name Gower is also associated with several place names in England and Wales, such as Gower Peninsula in South Wales and the village of Gower in Gloucestershire, England. These places may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
Other notable individuals with the Gower surname include George Gower, an English lawyer and judge born in 1558, and William Gower, an English artist and engraver who lived from 1766 to 1832.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gower
Among Census respondents with the surname Gower, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gower 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 Gower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 5,615
- Two or more races3.8% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 183
- Black or African American2.1% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gower
Gower 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
#5,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,554
+85 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 335 places
2020
#5,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,263
-291 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,982 | 6,469 | 2.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,317 | 6,554 | 2.22 | +85 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 335 places |
| 2020 | #5,377 | 6,263 | 2.10 | -291 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 60 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 Gower 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 | #5,317 | #5,377 | -1.1% |
| Count | 6,554 | 6,263 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.22 | 2.10 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gower bearers went from 6,554 to 6,263 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,317 to #5,377.
FAQ
Gower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gower?
Name Census estimates that about 7,182 living Americans carry the surname Gower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,724 residents.
How common is Gower?
Gower ranks #5,377 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,263 people with the surname Gower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gower.
Has Gower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gower went from 6,554 recorded bearers to 6,263. That is a decrease of 291 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,317 to #5,377.
What does the Census say about the background of Gower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gower, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (5,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gower (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 Gower mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place in West Yorkshire or from the district of Gower in Wales. 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 Gower (2.10 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 Gower?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.