The Rowe surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 69,879 people carried this name — #478 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,220 people counted. That is up 6% from 66,205 in 2000.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 21 births for the Rowe name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “7 in Wexford.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 51 people named Rowe.
Most of them — 36 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
42 people named Rowe live in Switzerland.
They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
84 people named Rowe are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Rowe in American newspapers,
1879–1931.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 363,541 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Rowe,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Nicholas Rowe 1674–1718 · writer -
John Rowe 1715–1787 · merchant -
Henry Schoolcraft 1793–1864 · writer -
Peter Rowe 1807–1876 · lawyer -
Samuel Rowe 1835–1888 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 249 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Rowe.
- Rouze 124 · U.S. census
- Rovelli 173 · U.S. census
- Rovello 184 · U.S. census
- Rover 424 · U.S. census
- Rovere 227 · U.S. census
- Rovira 1,067 · U.S. census
- Roy 53,159 · U.S. census
- Royal 15,755 · U.S. census
- Roye 1,612 · U.S. census
- Royer 11,279 · U.S. census
- Royo 294 · U.S. census
- Roz 154 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Rowe is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.