2000
#5,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,333
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Stowers
An English occupational surname for a keeper of livestock or an officer in charge of the livestock on an estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,503 Americans carry the last name Stowers. That puts it at #5,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,682 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stowers 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 Stowers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,682
Census rank
#5,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,543 bearers of the surname Stowers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stowers
The surname Stowers is of English origin, derived from the occupation of a stockman or keeper of cattle pens. It is believed to have originated in the 14th century, with the earliest recorded spelling being Stour, referring to a cattle enclosure.
The name is thought to have its roots in the Old English word "stōr," meaning a young bullock or steer, and the suffix "-er," indicating an occupation or trade. This suggests that the original bearers of the name were likely involved in the care and management of cattle herds.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John le Stowere is listed. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and its connection to the cattle-related occupation during the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Stower, Stowre, and Stowars, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation common during that era. This variation continued until the late 17th century when the spelling "Stowers" became more standardized.
Notable individuals with the surname Stowers include Sir Richard Stowers (1577-1628), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bridport, Dorset. Another noteworthy figure was William Stowers (1605-1679), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex.
In the 18th century, John Stowers (1719-1799) was an English engraver and artist known for his landscape paintings and engravings. During the same period, Nicholas Stowers (1730-1806) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Henry Stowers (1818-1892), an English cricketer who played for the Nottinghamshire county cricket team. He was also a renowned architect and surveyor, responsible for designing several notable buildings in Nottingham.
While the surname Stowers is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history rooted in the English countryside and the occupation of cattle herding. Its evolution from the Old English word "stōr" to its present form reflects the linguistic and cultural changes that have shaped English surnames over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stowers
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Stowers 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 Stowers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 4,516
- Black or African American19.5% · 1,278
- Two or more races5.5% · 358
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 219
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stowers
Stowers 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
#5,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,657
+324 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#5,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,543
-114 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Up 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,085 | 6,333 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,239 | 6,657 | 2.26 | +324 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #5,165 | 6,543 | 2.19 | -114 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 74 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 Stowers 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 | #5,239 | #5,165 | 1.4% |
| Count | 6,657 | 6,543 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.19 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stowers bearers went from 6,657 to 6,543 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,239 to #5,165.
FAQ
Stowers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stowers?
Name Census estimates that about 7,503 living Americans carry the surname Stowers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,682 residents.
How common is Stowers?
Stowers ranks #5,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,543 people with the surname Stowers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,503), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stowers.
Has Stowers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stowers went from 6,657 recorded bearers to 6,543. That is a decrease of 114 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,239 to #5,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Stowers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Stowers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (4,516 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stowers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.0%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Stowers (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 Stowers mean?
An English occupational surname for a keeper of livestock or an officer in charge of the livestock on an estate. 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 Stowers (2.19 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 have the last name Stowers?
Want to know how common the surname Stowers is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.