2000
#3,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.06
Rare Last name
Withrow
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a row of willow trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,165 Americans carry the last name Withrow. That puts it at #4,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Withrow 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
9.2K
1 in 37,398
Census rank
#4,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,992 bearers of the surname Withrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Withrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Withrow
The surname Withrow originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "with" meaning "willow" and "row" meaning "a row or line of trees." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or by a row of willow trees.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Wydderowe, found in the Feet of Fines records of Norfolk in 1275. Other early spellings include Wydderowe (1286), Wydderow (1316), and Wydderowes (1327). These variations in spelling were common during the Middle Ages before English orthography became standardized.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Wydderow, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Another early record is that of Richard Wytherowe, listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.
The Withrow name has been associated with various places in England, including Withrow in Somerset and Withrow Hill in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Withrow include:
1. James Withrow (1844-1919), an American Presbyterian minister and author from Ohio.
2. John Withrow (1792-1867), a Canadian farmer and political figure who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.
3. Thomas Withrow (1804-1861), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
4. William Beatty Withrow (1839-1908), a Canadian clergyman and author who wrote several historical works on Canada.
5. James Renwick Withrow (1854-1938), a Canadian Presbyterian minister and author, known for his works on Canadian history and literature.
The Withrow surname has been found in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Somerset, where it has been recorded since the 13th century. Over time, the name has spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, carried by individuals and families who emigrated to North America, Australia, and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Withrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Withrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Withrow 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 Withrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 7,072
- Two or more races4.6% · 366
- Black or African American3.1% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 206
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Withrow
Withrow 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
#4,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,262
-6 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 355 places
2020
#4,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,992
-270 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Up 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,947 | 8,268 | 3.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,302 | 8,262 | 2.80 | -6 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 355 places |
| 2020 | #4,294 | 7,992 | 2.67 | -270 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 8 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 Withrow 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 | #4,302 | #4,294 | 0.2% |
| Count | 8,262 | 7,992 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.67 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Withrow bearers went from 8,262 to 7,992 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,302 to #4,294.
FAQ
Withrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Withrow?
Name Census estimates that about 9,165 living Americans carry the surname Withrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,398 residents.
How common is Withrow?
Withrow ranks #4,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,992 people with the surname Withrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Withrow.
Has Withrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Withrow went from 8,262 recorded bearers to 7,992. That is a decrease of 270 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,302 to #4,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Withrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Withrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Withrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (7,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Withrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (3.1%). 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 Withrow (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 Withrow mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a row of willow trees. 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 Withrow (2.67 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 Americans have the surname Withrow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.