Loewen last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Loewen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Loewen.

Meaning of Loewen

A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a lion tamer or lion keeper.

Loewen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Loewen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loewen in America

Loewen is the 11095th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loewen surname appeared 2,861 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Loewen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loewen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 11095 11431 -2.98%
Count 2,861 2,529 12.32%
Proportion per 100k 0.97 0.94 3.14%

The history of the last name Loewen

The surname Loewen originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Lower Saxony. It dates back to the 12th century and is derived from the German word "Löwe," which means "lion." The name was likely given to someone who possessed lion-like characteristics, such as courage or strength, or who lived near an inn or tavern with a lion symbol.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Loewen can be found in the town records of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, dating back to the year 1287. The name was spelled "Lowen" at the time. Another early reference to the name appears in the Annals of the Teutonic Order, a chronicled history of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, which mentions a knight named Henrich Loewen in the year 1346.

In the 15th century, the name Loewen appeared in various historical documents across Germany. For instance, in 1423, a man named Hans Loewen was recorded as a landowner in the city of Nuremberg. Additionally, in 1487, a merchant named Peter Loewen was mentioned in the trade records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Loewen was Johann Loewen (1492-1567), a German theologian and reformer who was a supporter of Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Carl Loewen (1809-1888), a German landscape painter and etcher known for his depictions of the Bavarian Alps.

Other individuals of note with the surname Loewen include:

  • Friedrich Loewen (1823-1902), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag.
  • Johanna Loewen (1853-1932), a German-Russian writer and educator who was a pioneer in the field of women's education in Russia.
  • Johann Loewen (1875-1958), a German-American farmer and businessman who played a significant role in the development of the wheat industry in Kansas.
  • Ernst Loewen (1888-1963), a German composer and conductor who was known for his operas and orchestral works.

The surname Loewen has also been found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Loewenberg, which means "Lion's Mountain," and Loewenstedt, which means "Lion's Place."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loewen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Loewen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Loewen was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.53% 2,676
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.84% 24
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.01% 29
Hispanic Origin 4.47% 128

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Loewen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.53% 95.77% -2.37%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.84% 0.51% 48.89%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.01% 1.03% -1.96%
Hispanic 4.47% 2.53% 55.43%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Loewen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Loewen, please contact us.

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"Loewen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/loewen-surname-popularity/.

"Loewen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/loewen-surname-popularity/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Loewen last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/loewen-surname-popularity/.

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