2000
#14,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Tow
A person living near a river crossing or ford.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,148 Americans carry the last name Tow. That puts it at #15,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tow 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 Tow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 159,569
Census rank
#15,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,873 bearers of the surname Tow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tow, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tow
Among Census respondents with the surname Tow, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tow 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 Tow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 1,401
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.2% · 247
- Two or more races5.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 70
- Black or African American1.8% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tow
Tow 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
#15,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,910
+17 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 898 places
2020
#15,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
-37 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,457 | 1,893 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,355 | 1,910 | 0.65 | +17 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 898 places |
| 2020 | #15,115 | 1,873 | 0.63 | -37 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 240 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 Tow 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 | #15,355 | #15,115 | 1.6% |
| Count | 1,910 | 1,873 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.63 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tow bearers went from 1,910 to 1,873 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,355 to #15,115.
FAQ
Tow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,148 living Americans carry the surname Tow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,569 residents.
How common is Tow?
Tow ranks #15,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,873 people with the surname Tow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tow.
Has Tow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tow went from 1,910 recorded bearers to 1,873. That is a decrease of 37 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,355 to #15,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Tow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tow, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Tow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (1,401 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Tow (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 Tow mean?
A person living near a river crossing or ford. 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 Tow (0.63 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 surname Tow?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.