2000
#10,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,799
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Towe
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "knoll."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,024 Americans carry the last name Towe. That puts it at #11,426 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Towe 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 Towe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,345
Census rank
#11,426
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,637 bearers of the surname Towe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11426th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Towe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Towe
The surname TOWE has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosure or a dwelling, which later evolved into the modern English word "town." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived in a particular town or settlement.
During the Middle Ages, the TOWE surname was prominent in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Early records indicate that it was often spelled as "Towe," "Touw," or "Touwe," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the TOWE surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Towe is listed as a landowner in Norfolk. This historical document provides valuable insight into the distribution and status of families in medieval England.
Notable individuals bearing the TOWE surname include Sir William Towe, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. He served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of King Edward III. Another historical figure was John Towe, a merchant and alderman of the City of London in the late 15th century, who played a significant role in the city's governance.
The TOWE surname also had connections to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Tow in Somerset was once known as "Towe," and it is possible that some individuals took their surname from this location. Similarly, the town of Towcester in Northamptonshire may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the TOWE surname continued to be found throughout England, with individuals such as William Towe, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the late 16th century, and Thomas Towe, a landowner and justice of the peace in Gloucestershire in the mid-17th century.
As families migrated and spread across different regions, the TOWE surname underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation, leading to forms such as "Tow," "Toe," and "Tew." Despite these changes, the surname maintained its connection to its medieval English roots and the concept of a dwelling or settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Towe
Among Census respondents with the surname Towe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Towe 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 Towe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 2,283
- Black or African American5.9% · 155
- Two or more races4.6% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Towe
Towe 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
#11,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,877
+78 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 533 places
2020
#11,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,637
-240 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 375 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,518 | 2,799 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,051 | 2,877 | 0.98 | +78 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 533 places |
| 2020 | #11,426 | 2,637 | 0.88 | -240 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 375 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 Towe 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 | #11,051 | #11,426 | -3.4% |
| Count | 2,877 | 2,637 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.88 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Towe bearers went from 2,877 to 2,637 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 375 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,051 to #11,426.
FAQ
Towe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Towe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,024 living Americans carry the surname Towe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,345 residents.
How common is Towe?
Towe ranks #11,426 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,637 people with the surname Towe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,024), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Towe.
Has Towe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Towe went from 2,877 recorded bearers to 2,637. That is a decrease of 240 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,051 to #11,426.
What does the Census say about the background of Towe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Towe, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Towe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (2,283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Towe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Towe (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 Towe mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill" or "knoll." 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 Towe (0.88 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 Towe?
See how many people are called Towe on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.