2000
#12,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Towles
Derived from a place name meaning "at the tow hills," referring to hills where flax was grown and processed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,511 Americans carry the last name Towles. That puts it at #13,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Towles 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 Towles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,501
Census rank
#13,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,190 bearers of the surname Towles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Towles, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Towles
The surname Towles is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "tun," meaning an enclosure or a small settlement, combined with the word "hyll," signifying a hill. Thus, the name likely originated from a place name, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from a hillside village or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Towles can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Tunhyll," referring to a location near present-day Hampshire.
By the 13th century, the surname had evolved into various spellings, such as Townhill, Townell, and Townshill, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. These early spellings provide insights into the name's development and its association with specific localities.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Towles throughout history include Sir John Towles (1568-1634), a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Salisbury during the reign of King James I. Another noteworthy figure was Richard Towles (1670-1736), a renowned architect and master builder responsible for designing several churches and estates in the county of Wiltshire.
In the 18th century, the Towles family gained recognition through the accomplishments of William Towles (1712-1792), a highly regarded philosopher and author whose works contributed to the Enlightenment movement. His contemporary, Elizabeth Towles (1724-1805), was a celebrated poet and playwright, known for her poignant verses and influential literary contributions.
During the 19th century, the name Towles gained further prominence with the emergence of Sir Edward Towles (1818-1896), a distinguished military officer and colonial administrator who played a pivotal role in the expansion of the British Empire in India and Africa.
While the surname Towles has its origins in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals who migrated to different regions over the centuries. However, its rich history and connection to the English countryside remain etched in its etymology and the legacy of those who have borne this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Towles
Among Census respondents with the surname Towles, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Towles 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 Towles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.6% · 1,327
- Black or African American29.9% · 654
- Two or more races5.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Towles
Towles 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
#12,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,386
+115 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#13,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
-196 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 431 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,511 | 2,271 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,889 | 2,386 | 0.81 | +115 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #13,320 | 2,190 | 0.73 | -196 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 431 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 Towles 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 | #12,889 | #13,320 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,386 | 2,190 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.73 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Towles bearers went from 2,386 to 2,190 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 431 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,889 to #13,320.
FAQ
Towles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Towles?
Name Census estimates that about 2,511 living Americans carry the surname Towles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,501 residents.
How common is Towles?
Towles ranks #13,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,190 people with the surname Towles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Towles.
Has Towles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Towles went from 2,386 recorded bearers to 2,190. That is a decrease of 196 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,889 to #13,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Towles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Towles, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (29.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Towles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (1,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Towles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.6%), Black (29.9%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Towles (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 Towles mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the tow hills," referring to hills where flax was grown and processed. 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 Towles (0.73 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 Towles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.