Find out how popular the last name Tow is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tow.

Tow, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tow in America

Tow is the 15355th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tow surname appeared 1,910 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tow to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tow

The surname "Tow" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "toh" or "tog", which referred to a village or settlement on a spur or projecting piece of land. This suggests that the name likely originated in rural areas where people were identified by the physical characteristics of their local environment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Toue" and "Tou". This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation across England and provides valuable insights into surnames and their origins during the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Towe" and "Tou". One notable example is John de Towe, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. These rolls were legal documents that recorded proceedings related to property disputes and other matters in medieval England.

During the 14th century, the name "Tow" began to emerge more frequently in historical records. One notable individual from this period was Roger Tow, a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records from 1345. These records documented land transactions and property transfers in medieval England.

In the 15th century, the surname "Tow" was also associated with several notable individuals. One example is John Tow, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the city's thriving wool trade in the late 1400s. Another was William Tow, a prominent landowner from Oxfordshire, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1523, which recorded taxes levied on individuals based on their wealth and property ownership.

As the surname spread across England, it also developed various localized spellings and variations. For instance, in the county of Somerset, the name was often spelled as "Towe", while in Lancashire, it was often written as "Touw". These regional variations were common in the pre-modern era, reflecting the diversity of dialects and local customs across different parts of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tow

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tow.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tow was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tow, please contact us.

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