Explore the Family Name Towles
The meaning of Towles
English (Middlesex and Leicestershire): variant of Towle, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. Compare Tole and Toll. This form of the surname has now died out in Britain and Ireland.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Towles in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Towles has seen a subtle decrease in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Towles was ranked at 12,511 and by 2010 it had slipped to 12,889, marking a slight decrease of 3.02%. However, while the ranking fell, the count of individuals with the Towles surname increased by 5.06% during the same period - from 2,271 in 2000 to 2,386 in 2010. This indicates that although the rank fell, the surname became slightly more common.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,511 | #12,889 | -3.02% |
| Count | 2,271 | 2,386 | 5.06% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.84 | 0.81 | -3.57% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Towles
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts in the distribution for the surname Towles between 2000 and 2010. The largest ethnic group associated with this surname remained white, albeit with a minor decrease from 65.30% to 64.71%. Hispanic representation saw an increase of nearly 40%, going from 2.55% to 3.56%. Black representation dipped slightly from 29.37% to 28.50%. There were also small increases in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native, while those reporting two or more races rose marginally from 2.11% to 2.18%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 65.3% | 64.71% | -0.9% |
| Black | 29.37% | 28.5% | -2.96% |
| Hispanic | 2.55% | 3.56% | 39.61% |
| Two or More Races | 2.11% | 2.18% | 3.32% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.59% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.46% | 0% |