Find out how popular the last name Owes is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Owes.

Owes, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Owes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Owes in America

Owes is the 71265th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Owes surname appeared 274 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Owes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Owes to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Owes

The surname Owes originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'owas', meaning 'the ridge', and is closely related to the place name 'Owe' or 'Owes' in Cambridgeshire. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as 'Richard de Owe'.

The name Owes is believed to have been initially used as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from the village of Owe or a similar place name. As people began to migrate and settle in different areas, the surname became more widespread and evolved into various spellings, such as Owe, Owes, and Owess.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Owes was John Owes, who was born around 1450 in Gloucestershire. He served as a yeoman and is mentioned in several land records from the late 15th century. Another notable figure was William Owes, a merchant from London, who lived in the early 16th century and was involved in the textile trade with the Netherlands.

During the 17th century, the Owes surname gained prominence with the birth of Robert Owes (1604-1679), a renowned English Puritan minister and writer. He authored several religious works and was a staunch advocate of Calvinist theology. Around the same time, John Owes (1623-1683) was a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Warwickshire.

In the 18th century, the Owes family established themselves in various parts of England, with notable members such as Thomas Owes (1701-1778), a successful farmer from Oxfordshire, and Elizabeth Owes (1725-1795), a philanthropist and prominent figure in the society of Bath.

As the surname spread and evolved, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas and other parts of the world through immigration and colonization. Some variations of the name, such as Ows and Ouse, emerged over time, but the core spelling of Owes has remained relatively consistent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Owes

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Owes.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Owes was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Owes has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Owes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Owes, please contact us.

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