Explore the Family Name Stowers

The meaning of Stowers

English: 1. habitational name from the River Stour in Essex, named with a word related to the ancient Germanic root stūr- ‘strong, stiff, fierce’. The surname has since developed a post-medieval excrescent -s. 2. variant of Stower, with post-medieval excrescent -s, itself a variant of Storr. In some cases Stower is also a habitational name from Stour Provost, East and West Stour, or Stourpaine (Dorset), named from the River Stour (see above). The name may also have originated from the Norman French personal name Stur (Old Norse Sture, of uncertain etymology but possibly related to stórr ‘big’), but it is not known if this survived as a hereditary surname.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Stowers has seen a shift in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, the surname ranked 5,085 in popularity and was borne by 6,333 individuals or 2.35 out of every 100,000 people in the United States. However, in 2010, the popularity rank dropped slightly to 5,239 as there was a slight increase in the number of individuals carrying the name to 6,657, accounting for 2.26 per 100K people. This represents a decrease in popularity by 3.03% and an increase in count by 5.12%.

20002010Change
Rank#5,085#5,239-3.03%
Count6,3336,6575.12%
Proportion per 100k2.352.26-3.83%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Stowers

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows changes in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Stowers between 2000 and 2010. The largest group identifying with this surname remains predominantly White, though there was a slight decrease from 74.85% in 2000 to 72.21% in 2010. There are also notable increases in the Asian Pacific Islander group, from 0.96% to 1.71%, and those identifying as belonging to two or more races, which rose from 2.21% to 3.33%. The Hispanic population with this surname increased by 54.61%, while Black identification saw a minor rise from 19.97% to 20.02%. Notably, the American Indian and Alaskan Native representation decreased by 10% during this period.

20002010Change
White74.85%72.21%-3.53%
Black19.97%20.02%0.25%
Two or More Races2.21%3.33%50.68%
Hispanic1.41%2.18%54.61%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.96%1.71%78.13%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.6%0.54%-10%

Stowers ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Stowers is British & Irish, which comprises 56.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.6%) and Nigerian (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, and Angolan & Congolese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish56.1%
French & German22.6%
Nigerian4.2%
Other17.1%
Stowers

Possible origins of the surname Stowers

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Stowers have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom82.80%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom82.80%
Greater London, United Kingdom82.80%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom82.10%
Merseyside, United Kingdom82.10%

What Stowers haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Stowers is J-L70, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-L70 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and E-M180, which are predominantly found among people with European and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Poe, Brandenburg, Treadwell, Race, Mazzola, Perrine, Eichelberger, Mancuso, Wingo, Traver.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Stowers surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

stowersPaternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Stowers have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Stowers

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Stowers" Surname 50.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Stowers

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Stowers" Surname 22.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Stowers

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Stowers" Surname 20.4%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Stowers

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Stowers" Surname 16.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Stowers?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Stowers are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%