2000
#4,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,492
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.41
Rare Last name
Nowlin
A diminutive of Nolan, an Irish surname derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán" (noble or famous).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,242 Americans carry the last name Nowlin. That puts it at #5,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,329 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nowlin 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
7.2K
1 in 47,329
Census rank
#5,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,315 bearers of the surname Nowlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nowlin
The surname Nowlin is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "nowell," which means "Christmas" or "Nativity," and was likely used as a descriptive name for someone associated with Christmas festivities or who was born around that time of year.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents, such as parish records and tax rolls, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard Nowelin, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The Nowlin surname has also been linked to certain place names, particularly in areas where the name was prevalent. For example, the village of Nowlton in Cheshire, England, may have been named after an early bearer of the Nowlin surname.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Nowlin. One of the earliest was Sir John Nowlin (c. 1450-1515), an English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII. Another influential figure was Reverend Richard Nowlin (1620-1689), a Puritan minister who emigrated to America and served as the first pastor of the First Church of Boston.
In the 18th century, John Nowlin (1736-1811) was a prominent American frontiersman and explorer who helped establish settlements in the Ohio Valley and Kentucky. During the American Revolutionary War, Major Joseph Nowlin (1752-1825) served as a member of the Virginia militia and fought in several battles against the British forces.
Moving into the 19th century, William Nowlin (1805-1878) was a respected physician and pioneer in the field of homeopathic medicine, practicing in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Another notable figure was Emily Nowlin (1838-1912), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools and colleges in the southern United States.
While the Nowlin surname may have originated in England and Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, due to immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nowlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nowlin 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 Nowlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.5% · 4,327
- Black or African American21.0% · 1,324
- Two or more races5.0% · 315
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 228
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nowlin
Nowlin 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
#5,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,692
+200 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 249 places
2020
#5,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,315
-377 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,967 | 6,492 | 2.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,216 | 6,692 | 2.27 | +200 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 249 places |
| 2020 | #5,326 | 6,315 | 2.11 | -377 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 110 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 Nowlin 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 | #5,216 | #5,326 | -2.1% |
| Count | 6,692 | 6,315 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.27 | 2.11 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nowlin bearers went from 6,692 to 6,315 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,216 to #5,326.
FAQ
Nowlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nowlin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,242 living Americans carry the surname Nowlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,329 residents.
How common is Nowlin?
Nowlin ranks #5,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,315 people with the surname Nowlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Nowlin.
Has Nowlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nowlin went from 6,692 recorded bearers to 6,315. That is a decrease of 377 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,216 to #5,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Nowlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nowlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Nowlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (4,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nowlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.5%), Black (21.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Nowlin (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 Nowlin mean?
A diminutive of Nolan, an Irish surname derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán" (noble or famous). 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 Nowlin (2.11 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 are called Nowlin?
You can see how many people are called Nowlin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.