2000
#2,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,803
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.12
Uncommon Last name
Rowan
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruadháin, meaning "descendant of Ruadhán," a personal name meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,387 Americans carry the last name Rowan. That puts it at #2,626 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowan 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 Rowan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,276
Census rank
#2,626
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,418 bearers of the surname Rowan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2626th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rowan
The surname Rowan originated in Scotland, derived from the Gaelic word "rodhann" meaning a little rose or a rowan tree. It is believed to have been first used as a surname in the 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a rowan tree or a place where rowan trees grew abundantly.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Rowan can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One of the entries mentions "Thomas de Rouan," indicating the presence of the name in Scotland during that time period.
In the 14th century, the Rowan family held lands in the Scottish counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name Rowan is also associated with the village of Rowan in Lanarkshire, Scotland, suggesting that some individuals may have taken the name from their place of residence.
One notable figure with the surname Rowan was Archibald Hamilton Rowan (1751-1834), an Irish politician and revolutionary who campaigned for Catholic emancipation and Irish independence. He was convicted of sedition in 1794 but later pardoned and spent several years in exile in the United States.
Another prominent individual was Andrew Summers Rowan (1857-1943), a British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and later became the Governor of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1924 to 1927.
In the literary world, there was Stephen Rowan (1924-1994), an Irish poet and playwright who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of identity and Irish culture.
Andrew Rowan (1918-2001) was a Scottish actor known for his roles in films such as "The Mouse That Roared" and "The Dam Busters."
Elizabeth Rowan Hamilton (1758-1816) was an Irish writer and intellectual who played a significant role in the Irish Patriotic movement and was a close friend of the philosopher William Godwin.
While the surname Rowan has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and settlement. The name continues to be associated with its historical connections to the rowan tree and its Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowan
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowan 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 Rowan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 11,378
- Black or African American6.6% · 892
- Two or more races3.5% · 471
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 448
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 109
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowan
Rowan 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
#2,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,993
+190 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 4.74
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#2,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,418
-575 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,408 | 13,803 | 5.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,581 | 13,993 | 4.74 | +190 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #2,626 | 13,418 | 4.49 | -575 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 45 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 Rowan 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 | #2,581 | #2,626 | -1.7% |
| Count | 13,993 | 13,418 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.74 | 4.49 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowan bearers went from 13,993 to 13,418 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,581 to #2,626.
FAQ
Rowan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowan?
Name Census estimates that about 15,387 living Americans carry the surname Rowan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,276 residents.
How common is Rowan?
Rowan ranks #2,626 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,418 people with the surname Rowan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Rowan.
Has Rowan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowan went from 13,993 recorded bearers to 13,418. That is a decrease of 575 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,581 to #2,626.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Rowan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (11,378 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Rowan (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 Rowan mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruadháin, meaning "descendant of Ruadhán," a personal name meaning "red-haired" or "ruddy." 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 Rowan (4.49 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 Rowan?
You can see how common the surname Rowan is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.