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

Rowlett, 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 Rowlett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rowlett in America

Rowlett is the 9440th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rowlett surname appeared 3,446 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rowlett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rowlett 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 Rowlett

The surname Rowlett originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "row" and "let", meaning a small clearing or meadow. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person living in a small open area surrounded by trees or other vegetation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named William Rowelot is mentioned. The spelling variations during this period include Rowlot, Rowlott, and Rowelotte, reflecting the evolution of the name over time.

The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, where several families bearing the Rowlett surname can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Records from this time period also show the name associated with various place names, such as Rowlettshyde and Rowlettslane, further reinforcing its connection to small clearings or settlements.

Notable individuals with the Rowlett surname include John Rowlett (1592-1671), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. Another prominent figure was William Rowlett (1675-1732), a successful merchant and landowner in Buckinghamshire, whose family estate, Rowlett Manor, still bears his name.

In the 18th century, Thomas Rowlett (1742-1811) was a respected lawyer and judge in Virginia, United States, having emigrated from England in the late 1700s. His son, John Rowlett (1783-1856), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent lawyer and politician in Kentucky.

Moving into the 19th century, we find William Rowlett (1812-1890), an English architect known for his work on several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Academy of Arts and the Church of St. Mary Aldermary.

While the Rowlett surname has undergone various spelling changes over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rural landscapes of medieval England, where it likely referred to individuals residing in small meadows or clearings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rowlett

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

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 Rowlett 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 Rowlett 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 Rowlett was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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