2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Litow
A locational surname derived from the Lithuanian region of Litwa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Litow. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Litow 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Litow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Litow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Litow
The surname Litow has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the region of modern-day Poland and Lithuania. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.
One possible derivation of the name Litow is from the Old Slavic word "litva," which referred to the Baltic tribes inhabiting the area now known as Lithuania. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify individuals who hailed from or had ties to this region.
Early records show variations of the spelling, including Litau, Litow, and Litau-Litow, which could indicate the name's evolution or regional differences in pronunciation and documentation.
While there are no definitive historical references to the name in major works like the Domesday Book, some of the earliest documented instances of the surname Litow can be traced back to the 16th century in Polish and Lithuanian records.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Jakub Litow, a Polish nobleman and landowner who lived in the late 16th century. Another was Michał Litow, a Lithuanian scholar and writer from the 17th century who authored works on history and philosophy.
In the 18th century, Jan Litow was a prominent Polish military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army during the reign of King Stanisław August Poniatowski.
During the 19th century, the name Litow became more widespread, with several individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields. For instance, Ignacy Litow (1798-1876) was a Polish composer and music teacher, while Konstanty Litow (1823-1891) was a renowned Polish painter known for his landscapes and historical scenes.
Another notable figure was Zygmunt Litow (1856-1923), a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early aviation and designed one of the first successful gliders in Europe.
While the surname Litow may have originated from a specific geographical region, it has since spread across various parts of Eastern Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration and dispersal of families over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Litow
Among Census respondents with the surname Litow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Litow 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 Litow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Litow
Litow 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,809 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,809 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 2,127 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 Litow 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 | #154,755 | -1.4% |
| Count | 107 | 102 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Litow bearers went from 107 to 102 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 2,127 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #154,755.
FAQ
Litow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Litow?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Litow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Litow?
Litow ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Litow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Litow.
Has Litow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Litow went from 107 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Litow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Litow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Litow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Litow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), Black (2.0%). 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 Litow (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 Litow mean?
A locational surname derived from the Lithuanian region of Litwa. 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 Litow (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 common is the surname Litow?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Litow? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.