2000
#3,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.70
Uncommon Last name
Sowers
An occupational surname referring to one who sows seeds or plants crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,854 Americans carry the last name Sowers. That puts it at #3,657 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,579 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sowers 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 Sowers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,579
Census rank
#3,657
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,465 bearers of the surname Sowers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3657th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sowers
The surname Sowers is of English origin and emerged in the late medieval period, derived from the occupational name for a sower, someone who scattered or planted seeds. Its root lies in the Old English word 'sawan' meaning 'to sow'.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was John le Souwere, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. The name also appeared in various spellings such as Sower, Sowar, and Sowere in historical records across the country.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a now-lost settlement called 'Saweres' is mentioned, potentially indicating an early association between the surname and a specific location. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1198 refer to a William le Souwere, suggesting the surname's presence in that region by the late 12th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Sowers include William Sowers (1774-1838), an American farmer and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Another prominent bearer was Amos Sowers (1828-1909), a Union Army veteran who fought in the American Civil War and later became a prosperous businessman in Pennsylvania.
In the realm of literature, the name appears in the works of English author Thomas Hardy, who featured characters with the surname Sowers in his novels 'The Woodlanders' (1887) and 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' (1891).
Other historical figures include John Sowers (1753-1831), a Mennonite minister and farmer from Pennsylvania, and Samuel Sowers (1796-1880), a prominent abolitionist and minister from the same state.
While the surname Sowers is not among the most prevalent in modern times, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era, reflecting the occupational roots of many English surnames. Its bearers have left their mark across various fields, from politics and military service to literature and ministry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sowers
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sowers 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 Sowers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 8,509
- Two or more races3.5% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 286
- Black or African American2.6% · 250
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sowers
Sowers 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
#3,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,198
+221 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 3.46
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#3,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,465
-733 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,296 | 9,977 | 3.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,504 | 10,198 | 3.46 | +221 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #3,657 | 9,465 | 3.17 | -733 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 153 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 Sowers 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 | #3,504 | #3,657 | -4.4% |
| Count | 10,198 | 9,465 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.46 | 3.17 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sowers bearers went from 10,198 to 9,465 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,504 to #3,657.
FAQ
Sowers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sowers?
Name Census estimates that about 10,854 living Americans carry the surname Sowers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,579 residents.
How common is Sowers?
Sowers ranks #3,657 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,465 people with the surname Sowers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Sowers.
Has Sowers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sowers went from 10,198 recorded bearers to 9,465. That is a decrease of 733 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,504 to #3,657.
What does the Census say about the background of Sowers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Sowers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (8,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sowers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Sowers (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 Sowers mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who sows seeds or plants crops. 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 Sowers (3.17 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 Sowers?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Sowers? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.