Explore the Family Name Callow

The meaning of Callow

1. Manx: shortened Anglicized form of Manx Mac Allow ‘son of Allow’, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Amhlaoibh. The personal name is a borrowing of Old Norse Óláfr. 2. English: nickname from Middle English calwe, calewe (Old English calu, weak accusative and dative case form calewan) ‘bald’. 3. English: habitational name from any of several places called Callow, including one in Herefordshire which is named with Old English calu ‘bare’ in the sense ‘bare hill’, Callow near Hathersage and Callow near Wirksworth, both in Derbyshire, which are named with Old English cald ‘cold’ + hlāw ‘hill’, and Calow near Chesterfield, also in Derbyshire, which is named with Old English calu ‘bare’ + halh ‘nook of land’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Callow in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Callow was ranked as the 20,397th most popular in 2000 and saw a slight decrease in rank to 22,026 by 2010, indicating a 7.99% change over the decade. The number of individuals with this surname also decreased slightly, going from 1,211 in 2000 to 1,177 in 2010, marking a 2.81% reduction. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 individuals saw an 11.11% decrease during the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#20,397#22,026-7.99%
Count1,2111,177-2.81%
Proportion per 100k0.450.4-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Callow

The ethnicity breakdown of those with the surname Callow, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows that the majority identify as White, with a slight increase from 94.55% in 2000 to 94.65% in 2010. Those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase of 47.73% during this period, moving from 1.32% to 1.95%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black experienced a notable decline, dropping from 1.57% to 0.93%, which is a 40.76% decrease. The percentage of individuals with this surname identifying with two or more races declined slightly from 1.65% to 1.44%, marking a 12.73% reduction. The numbers for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at zero.

20002010Change
White94.55%94.65%0.11%
Hispanic1.32%1.95%47.73%
Two or More Races1.65%1.44%-12.73%
Black1.57%0.93%-40.76%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%