2000
#7,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Towle
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of towels or blankets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,520 Americans carry the last name Towle. That puts it at #8,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Towle 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 Towle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,831
Census rank
#8,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,942 bearers of the surname Towle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Towle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Towle
The surname Towle originates from England and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, around the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "toll," which referred to a payment or tax collected at a tollgate or bridge.
The name was initially associated with individuals who lived near a toll or worked as toll collectors. The earliest recorded example of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Tola in Essex.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Tole, Tolle, and Towell, before settling into its modern form, Towle. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Towle spelling dates back to the 13th century, when a John Towle was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
During the medieval period, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Oxfordshire, and Hertfordshire, where many Towle families were landowners or involved in local trade and commerce.
One notable figure bearing the Towle surname was Sir William Towle, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London in the late 16th century. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1596 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Towle (1608-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Twickenham and wrote several religious works, including a commentary on the Book of Psalms.
In the 18th century, the Towle family established a significant presence in the American colonies, with several members settling in New England. Benjamin Towle (1712-1790), a silversmith from Massachusetts, became famous for his intricate silverware designs and contributed to the development of the American silver trade.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Towle (1809-1889), a successful industrialist and manufacturer from Massachusetts. He founded the Towle Manufacturing Company, which became renowned for producing high-quality flatware and silverware.
Lastly, John Towle (1858-1938), an English cricketer, played for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and was known for his exceptional batting skills. He played in several first-class matches between 1879 and 1890.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Towle
Among Census respondents with the surname Towle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Towle 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 Towle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,645
- Two or more races3.1% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- Black or African American0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Towle
Towle 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
#7,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,156
-8 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 583 places
2020
#8,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,942
-214 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,378 | 4,164 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,961 | 4,156 | 1.41 | -8 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 583 places |
| 2020 | #8,057 | 3,942 | 1.32 | -214 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 96 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 Towle 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 | #7,961 | #8,057 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,156 | 3,942 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.32 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Towle bearers went from 4,156 to 3,942 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,961 to #8,057.
FAQ
Towle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Towle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,520 living Americans carry the surname Towle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,831 residents.
How common is Towle?
Towle ranks #8,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,942 people with the surname Towle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,520), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Towle.
Has Towle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Towle went from 4,156 recorded bearers to 3,942. That is a decrease of 214 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,961 to #8,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Towle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Towle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Towle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Towle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Towle (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 Towle mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of towels or blankets. 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 Towle (1.32 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 common is the surname Towle?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Towle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.