2000
#37,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 563
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Rowson
A surname derived from a personal name or nickname derived from "Rowe" or "Roe".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 640 Americans carry the last name Rowson. That puts it at #41,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 535,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rowson 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 Rowson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
640
1 in 535,554
Census rank
#41,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
558
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 558 bearers of the surname Rowson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rowson
The surname Rowson has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "row," which referred to a row or a line, and the suffix "-son," indicating a patronymic name, meaning "son of the rower."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rowson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it appeared as "Rowesune." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in rowing or boating activities.
During the 13th century, the name Rowson began to appear in various records across England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It is thought that the name may have originated in these areas, where waterways and rivers were abundant, and rowing was a common occupation.
In the 14th century, the surname Rowson was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a person named John Rowson was recorded as a tenant in 1348.
One notable historical figure bearing the Rowson surname was William Rowson, a 16th-century English clergyman and scholar. He was born around 1530 and served as the Rector of Chalbury in Dorset from 1565 until his death in 1594.
Another individual of note was Samuel Rowson, an English-American author, and playwright who lived from 1766 to 1828. He is best known for his novel "Charlotte Temple," which was one of the first American bestsellers and helped establish the genre of sentimental literature in the United States.
In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the Rowson name was Susanna Rowson, an English-American actress, writer, and educator. She was born in 1762 and is credited with publishing the first novel written by a woman in America, titled "Charlotte: A Tale of Truth."
During the 19th century, the Rowson surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and London. One notable figure from this period was William Rowson, a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the mid-1800s.
In the 20th century, one prominent individual with the Rowson surname was Cyril Rowson, a British mathematician and logician. He was born in 1897 and made significant contributions to the field of mathematical logic, particularly in the areas of set theory and model theory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rowson
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rowson 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 Rowson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.3% · 353
- Black or African American29.7% · 166
- Two or more races3.6% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rowson
Rowson 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
#39,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 551
-12 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,571 places
2020
#41,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 558
+7 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,266 | 563 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,837 | 551 | 0.19 | -12 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 2,571 places |
| 2020 | #41,948 | 558 | 0.19 | +7 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 2,111 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 Rowson 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 | #39,837 | #41,948 | -5.3% |
| Count | 551 | 558 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rowson bearers went from 551 to 558 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 2,111 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,837 to #41,948.
FAQ
Rowson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rowson?
Name Census estimates that about 640 living Americans carry the surname Rowson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 535,554 residents.
How common is Rowson?
Rowson ranks #41,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 558 people with the surname Rowson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rowson.
Has Rowson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rowson went from 551 recorded bearers to 558. That is an increase of 7 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,837 to #41,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Rowson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rowson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (353 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rowson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.3%), Black (29.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Rowson (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 Rowson mean?
A surname derived from a personal name or nickname derived from "Rowe" or "Roe". 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 Rowson (0.19 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 share the surname Rowson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.