2000
#9,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Towery
Habitational surname derived from places named Tower or Towers, referring to someone who lived near a tower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,626 Americans carry the last name Towery. That puts it at #9,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Towery 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
3.6K
1 in 94,527
Census rank
#9,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,162 bearers of the surname Towery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Towery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Towery
The surname Towery is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "tor," which means a tower or a high rock formation. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a prominent tower or rocky outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Torr." This entry refers to a landowner or tenant in the county of Somerset. The name continued to evolve over the centuries, with variations like "Torer," "Torier," and eventually "Towery" appearing in various historical records.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named William de la Towere was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1220, indicating his connection to a place called "la Towere" (the Tower). This place name likely referred to a location with a prominent tower or fortification.
During the 16th century, the surname Towery started to gain more prominence. In 1543, a man named John Towery was recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham. Around the same time, a certain Thomas Towery was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1545.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Towery surname was Sir Richard Towery (1570-1635), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. He was knighted in 1603 by King James I and played a significant role in local politics and governance.
Another notable individual was John Towery (1635-1701), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London. He published several theological works and was known for his sermons and writings on religious topics.
In the 18th century, the name Towery appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a family named Towery owned a substantial estate near the town of Ripon. One member of this family, Edward Towery (1720-1789), was a respected landowner and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and churches in the area.
The 19th century saw the name Towery spread further throughout the British Isles and beyond. In 1846, a Scottish writer named Archibald Towery (1815-1892) published a collection of poems and ballads that celebrated the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Towery
Among Census respondents with the surname Towery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Towery 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 Towery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 2,829
- Two or more races4.9% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 90
- Black or African American2.0% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Towery
Towery 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
#9,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,400
+117 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#9,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,162
-238 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,134 | 3,283 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,562 | 3,400 | 1.15 | +117 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #9,779 | 3,162 | 1.06 | -238 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 217 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 Towery 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 | #9,562 | #9,779 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,400 | 3,162 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.06 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Towery bearers went from 3,400 to 3,162 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 217 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,562 to #9,779.
FAQ
Towery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Towery?
Name Census estimates that about 3,626 living Americans carry the surname Towery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,527 residents.
How common is Towery?
Towery ranks #9,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,162 people with the surname Towery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Towery.
Has Towery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Towery went from 3,400 recorded bearers to 3,162. That is a decrease of 238 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,562 to #9,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Towery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Towery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Towery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (2,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Towery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Towery (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 Towery mean?
Habitational surname derived from places named Tower or Towers, referring to someone who lived near a tower. 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 Towery (1.06 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 Towery?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.