2000
#6,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Strawn
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "straw enclosure" or "place covered with straw."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,824 Americans carry the last name Strawn. That puts it at #6,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strawn 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.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,852
Census rank
#6,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,079 bearers of the surname Strawn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strawn
The surname Strawn is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands during the medieval period, though its precise origins are uncertain. Some scholars suggest it may derive from the Gaelic word "stron," meaning a nose or promontory, indicating the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a distinctive landscape feature.
In early records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Stron, Strone, and Stroan, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in those times. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to Edward I of England.
The Strawn name is also associated with the Scottish Borders region, particularly the area around Roxburghshire. Historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries mention individuals with this surname residing in towns like Jedburgh and Kelso.
One notable figure bearing the Strawn surname was James Strawn (1659-1722), a Scottish Presbyterian minister who served as the pastor of the Jedburgh Parish Church for over four decades. His sermons and writings were highly influential in the region during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Strawn (1776-1848), a Scottish businessman and landowner who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school for underprivileged children in his home town of Hawick.
In the 19th century, the Strawn name began to appear more frequently in North America, likely due to immigration from Scotland. One individual of note was William Strawn (1819-1894), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois.
Another individual of historical significance was Mary Strawn (1855-1932), an American educator and suffragist who campaigned for women's rights and played a crucial role in establishing several educational institutions in the state of Ohio.
While the Strawn surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strawn
Among Census respondents with the surname Strawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Strawn 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 Strawn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 4,508
- Two or more races4.1% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 179
- Black or African American2.4% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strawn
Strawn 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
#6,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,343
+107 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 332 places
2020
#6,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,079
-264 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,041 | 5,236 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,373 | 5,343 | 1.81 | +107 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 332 places |
| 2020 | #6,437 | 5,079 | 1.70 | -264 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 64 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 Strawn 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 | #6,373 | #6,437 | -1.0% |
| Count | 5,343 | 5,079 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.70 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strawn bearers went from 5,343 to 5,079 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,373 to #6,437.
FAQ
Strawn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strawn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,824 living Americans carry the surname Strawn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,852 residents.
How common is Strawn?
Strawn ranks #6,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 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 5,079 people with the surname Strawn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 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 Strawn.
Has Strawn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strawn went from 5,343 recorded bearers to 5,079. That is a decrease of 264 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,373 to #6,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Strawn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Strawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (4,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strawn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Strawn (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 Strawn mean?
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "straw enclosure" or "place covered with straw." 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 Strawn (1.70 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 Strawn?
You can see how common the surname Strawn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.