2000
#8,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Partlow
Derived from a place name meaning "low-lying area with pear trees" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,862 Americans carry the last name Partlow. That puts it at #9,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Partlow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Partlow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,750
Census rank
#9,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,368 bearers of the surname Partlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Partlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Partlow
The surname Partlow has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "peart" meaning lively or brisk, and "low" referring to a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or on a lively or brisk hill.
Records show that the earliest known spelling of the name was "Pertelowe," found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1186. Other early variations include "Partlowe" and "Partlawe." These variations likely occurred due to dialect differences and the inconsistencies in spelling practices during that time period.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Partlow name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a William Partlowe. Another early record is from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1317, where a Johannes de Partlowe is mentioned.
In the 16th century, there are references to the Partlow name in various manorial records and parish registers across several counties in England, including Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name had spread across different regions by that time.
Notable individuals with the Partlow surname include:
1. John Partlow (c. 1530 - 1592), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Chester Cathedral from 1587 until his death.
2. Thomas Partlow (c. 1560 - 1628), an English lawyer and member of the Middle Temple in London.
3. William Partlow (c. 1620 - 1683), an English merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
4. Henry Partlow (1684 - 1744), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
5. Sarah Partlow (1732 - 1802), an English author and playwright who wrote several popular works in the late 18th century.
While the surname Partlow is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English surnames with a long and fascinating history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Partlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Partlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Partlow 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 Partlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 2,447
- Black or African American19.5% · 656
- Two or more races4.0% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Partlow
Partlow 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
#9,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,623
+21 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 599 places
2020
#9,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,368
-255 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,426 | 3,602 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,025 | 3,623 | 1.23 | +21 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 599 places |
| 2020 | #9,273 | 3,368 | 1.13 | -255 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 248 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 Partlow 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 | #9,025 | #9,273 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,623 | 3,368 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.13 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Partlow bearers went from 3,623 to 3,368 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,025 to #9,273.
FAQ
Partlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Partlow?
Name Census estimates that about 3,862 living Americans carry the surname Partlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,750 residents.
How common is Partlow?
Partlow ranks #9,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,368 people with the surname Partlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Partlow.
Has Partlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Partlow went from 3,623 recorded bearers to 3,368. That is a decrease of 255 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,025 to #9,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Partlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Partlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Partlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (2,447 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Partlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.7%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Partlow (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 Partlow mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "low-lying area with pear trees" 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 Partlow (1.13 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 Partlow?
See how many people have the surname Partlow on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.