2000
#8,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,359
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Rowlett
Derived from a place name meaning "rough wood" or "rye hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,649 Americans carry the last name Rowlett. That puts it at #9,734 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowlett 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 Rowlett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 93,931
Census rank
#9,734
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,182 bearers of the surname Rowlett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9734th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowlett
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowlett 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 Rowlett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 2,537
- Black or African American13.0% · 414
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 103
- Two or more races3.2% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowlett
Rowlett 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
#9,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,446
+87 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 489 places
2020
#9,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,182
-264 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,951 | 3,359 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,440 | 3,446 | 1.17 | +87 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 489 places |
| 2020 | #9,734 | 3,182 | 1.06 | -264 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 294 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 Rowlett 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 | #9,440 | #9,734 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,446 | 3,182 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.06 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowlett bearers went from 3,446 to 3,182 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,440 to #9,734.
FAQ
Rowlett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowlett?
Name Census estimates that about 3,649 living Americans carry the surname Rowlett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,931 residents.
How common is Rowlett?
Rowlett ranks #9,734 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,182 people with the surname Rowlett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Rowlett.
Has Rowlett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowlett went from 3,446 recorded bearers to 3,182. That is a decrease of 264 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,440 to #9,734.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowlett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Rowlett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (2,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowlett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (13.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Rowlett (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 Rowlett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rough wood" or "rye hill" 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 Rowlett (1.06 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 Rowlett?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Rowlett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.