2000
#9,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Rowden
Derived from a place name meaning "rough valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,469 Americans carry the last name Rowden. That puts it at #10,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowden 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 Rowden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,805
Census rank
#10,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,025 bearers of the surname Rowden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rowden
The surname Rowden originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'ruh' meaning rough and 'dun' meaning hill or down, indicating a person who lived near a rough or uncultivated hill. The earliest known spelling of the name was 'de Rowedune' recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is mentioned as a place name in the county of Sussex. The village of Rowden, located in the parish of Ringmer, likely took its name from the same Old English origins.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms such as 'de Rowedone' and 'Rowedun', reflecting the local dialect and spelling variations of the time. The first recorded instance of the modern spelling 'Rowden' dates back to 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.
Among the notable individuals bearing this surname was Sir William Rowden (1460-1518), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Shropshire. He served as Sheriff of Shropshire in 1498 and was knighted by King Henry VIII in 1513.
Another notable figure was John Rowden (1562-1637), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Orford in Suffolk. He published several religious works, including 'A Treatise on the Resolution' in 1620.
In the 17th century, Thomas Rowden (1629-1696) was a prominent merchant and philanthropist in London. He donated generously to various charitable causes and helped establish the Rowden Almshouses in Hackney, which provided housing for the poor.
The surname also has connections to the American colonies, with Richard Rowden (1670-1744) being one of the earliest settlers in Virginia. He established a plantation in Westmoreland County and his descendants played an active role in the American Revolutionary War.
During the 19th century, Joseph Rowden (1810-1892) was a respected British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Rowden throughout history, demonstrating its longstanding presence and significance across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowden
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowden 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 Rowden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 2,430
- Black or African American9.8% · 295
- Two or more races4.6% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowden
Rowden 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
#10,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,202
+74 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 537 places
2020
#10,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,025
-177 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,531 | 3,128 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,068 | 3,202 | 1.09 | +74 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 537 places |
| 2020 | #10,153 | 3,025 | 1.01 | -177 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 85 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 Rowden 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 | #10,068 | #10,153 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,202 | 3,025 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 1.01 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowden bearers went from 3,202 to 3,025 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,068 to #10,153.
FAQ
Rowden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowden?
Name Census estimates that about 3,469 living Americans carry the surname Rowden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,805 residents.
How common is Rowden?
Rowden ranks #10,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,025 people with the surname Rowden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Rowden.
Has Rowden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowden went from 3,202 recorded bearers to 3,025. That is a decrease of 177 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,068 to #10,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rowden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (2,430 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (9.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Rowden (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 Rowden mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rough valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a location. 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 Rowden (1.01 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 Rowden?
Want to know how common the surname Rowden is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.