2000
#13,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Ownby
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Owen's farmstead" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,260 Americans carry the last name Ownby. That puts it at #14,538 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ownby 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
2.3K
1 in 151,661
Census rank
#14,538
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,971 bearers of the surname Ownby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14538th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ownby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ownby
The surname Ownby has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from a place name, possibly from the village of Owenby in Lincolnshire. It may have originated as a locational surname, given to someone who hailed from that particular area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Owenby, Lincolnshire, where a John Ownby was christened in 1592. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the Elizabethan era.
Another early reference to the name Ownby appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379, where a William Ownby is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name may have had variations in spelling or pronunciation in different regions of England during the Middle Ages.
Interestingly, the name Ownby bears a resemblance to the Old English word "ownian," which means "to own" or "to possess." This linguistic connection could indicate that the surname may have originally described someone who owned land or property in a particular area.
As the centuries passed, the Ownby family spread across various parts of England. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Robert Ownby (1755-1832), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
2. Elizabeth Ownby (1820-1892), a pioneer woman who migrated to the United States and settled in Tennessee.
3. William Ownby (1867-1947), an English author and poet known for his works on rural life.
4. John Ownby (1901-1978), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London during the mid-20th century.
5. Margaret Ownby (1925-2012), an American educator and advocate for children's literacy programs.
While the surname Ownby may have originated from a specific place in England, it has since been carried by individuals across various countries and continents, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its history and legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ownby
Among Census respondents with the surname Ownby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ownby 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 Ownby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,818
- Two or more races4.2% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ownby
Ownby 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
#14,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,026
-6 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 991 places
2020
#14,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,971
-55 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,690 | 2,032 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,681 | 2,026 | 0.69 | -6 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 991 places |
| 2020 | #14,538 | 1,971 | 0.66 | -55 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 143 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 Ownby 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 | #14,681 | #14,538 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,026 | 1,971 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.66 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ownby bearers went from 2,026 to 1,971 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,681 to #14,538.
FAQ
Ownby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ownby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,260 living Americans carry the surname Ownby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,661 residents.
How common is Ownby?
Ownby ranks #14,538 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,971 people with the surname Ownby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Ownby.
Has Ownby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ownby went from 2,026 recorded bearers to 1,971. That is a decrease of 55 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,681 to #14,538.
What does the Census say about the background of Ownby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ownby, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Ownby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,818 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ownby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Ownby (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 Ownby mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "Owen's farmstead" in Old English. 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 Ownby (0.66 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 have the last name Ownby?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Ownby, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.