2000
#11,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,529
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Loewen
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a lion tamer or lion keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,520 Americans carry the last name Loewen. That puts it at #10,022 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,373 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loewen 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
3.5K
1 in 97,373
Census rank
#10,022
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,070 bearers of the surname Loewen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10022nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loewen
The surname Loewen originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Lower Saxony. It dates back to the 12th century and is derived from the German word "Löwe," which means "lion." The name was likely given to someone who possessed lion-like characteristics, such as courage or strength, or who lived near an inn or tavern with a lion symbol.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Loewen can be found in the town records of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, dating back to the year 1287. The name was spelled "Lowen" at the time. Another early reference to the name appears in the Annals of the Teutonic Order, a chronicled history of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, which mentions a knight named Henrich Loewen in the year 1346.
In the 15th century, the name Loewen appeared in various historical documents across Germany. For instance, in 1423, a man named Hans Loewen was recorded as a landowner in the city of Nuremberg. Additionally, in 1487, a merchant named Peter Loewen was mentioned in the trade records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Loewen was Johann Loewen (1492-1567), a German theologian and reformer who was a supporter of Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Carl Loewen (1809-1888), a German landscape painter and etcher known for his depictions of the Bavarian Alps.
Other individuals of note with the surname Loewen include:
- Friedrich Loewen (1823-1902), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag.
- Johanna Loewen (1853-1932), a German-Russian writer and educator who was a pioneer in the field of women's education in Russia.
- Johann Loewen (1875-1958), a German-American farmer and businessman who played a significant role in the development of the wheat industry in Kansas.
- Ernst Loewen (1888-1963), a German composer and conductor who was known for his operas and orchestral works.
The surname Loewen has also been found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Loewenberg, which means "Lion's Mountain," and Loewenstedt, which means "Lion's Place."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loewen
Among Census respondents with the surname Loewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Loewen 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 Loewen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,807
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 147
- Two or more races2.7% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loewen
Loewen 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
#11,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,861
+332 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 336 places
2020
#10,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,070
+209 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 1,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,431 | 2,529 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,095 | 2,861 | 0.97 | +332 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 336 places |
| 2020 | #10,022 | 3,070 | 1.03 | +209 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 1,073 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 Loewen 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 | #11,095 | #10,022 | 9.7% |
| Count | 2,861 | 3,070 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 1.03 | 5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loewen bearers went from 2,861 to 3,070 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 1,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,095 to #10,022.
FAQ
Loewen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loewen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,520 living Americans carry the surname Loewen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,373 residents.
How common is Loewen?
Loewen ranks #10,022 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,070 people with the surname Loewen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,520), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Loewen.
Has Loewen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loewen went from 2,861 recorded bearers to 3,070. That is an increase of 209 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,095 to #10,022.
What does the Census say about the background of Loewen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Loewen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,807 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loewen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Loewen (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 Loewen mean?
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a lion tamer or lion keeper. 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 Loewen (1.03 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 Loewen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.