2000
#6,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,189
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.92
Rare Last name
Lowder
A variant of Lowther, an English surname derived from a place name meaning "peaceful settlement by the river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,846 Americans carry the last name Lowder. That puts it at #6,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lowder surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lowder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,631
Census rank
#6,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,098 bearers of the surname Lowder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowder, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lowder
The surname LOWDER is an English locational surname that originated in the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English word "hlowan," which means "to resound" or "to make a loud noise." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where loud noises were commonly heard, such as near a waterfall or a blacksmith's forge.
The earliest known record of the LOWDER surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Gloucestershire, England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a document recording landowners and their holdings, a Robert le Lowder is mentioned as holding land in the village of Lowderwyk, which likely derived its name from the surname.
During the Middle Ages, the LOWDER surname was also found in other parts of England, including Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The variations in spelling, such as Lowther and Loughter, were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable historical figure bearing the LOWDER surname was Sir Richard Lowder (c. 1510-1555), a prominent English lawyer and judge during the reign of Queen Mary I. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and played a significant role in the legal proceedings surrounding the Lady Jane Grey affair.
In the 17th century, the LOWDER surname was found in various parishes across England. One record from 1674 mentions a John LOWDER who was buried in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Another notable individual from this era was William LOWDER (1626-1705), an English cartographer and mathematician who published several works on navigation and surveying.
Moving into the 18th century, the LOWDER surname continued to be prominent in various parts of England. James LOWDER (1760-1832), a renowned English landscape painter, was born in Hertfordshire and is known for his picturesque depictions of rural scenes.
In the 19th century, the LOWDER surname was still prevalent, with individuals such as Charles LOWDER (1820-1880), an influential Anglican priest and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. He played a significant role in the revival of Catholic ritual and doctrine within the Church of England.
Throughout its history, the LOWDER surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including law, cartography, art, and the clergy. While the exact origin of the name may be lost to time, its roots can be traced back to medieval England, where it emerged as a locational surname reflecting the sounds and landscapes of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lowder
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowder, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lowder bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lowder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 4,530
- Black or African American4.1% · 210
- Two or more races3.6% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lowder
Lowder appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,449
+260 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#6,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,098
-351 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,098 | 5,189 | 1.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,271 | 5,449 | 1.85 | +260 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #6,411 | 5,098 | 1.71 | -351 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 140 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lowder surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,271 | #6,411 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,449 | 5,098 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.71 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lowder bearers went from 5,449 to 5,098 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,271 to #6,411.
FAQ
Lowder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lowder?
Name Census estimates that about 5,846 living Americans carry the surname Lowder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,631 residents.
How common is Lowder?
Lowder ranks #6,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,098 people with the surname Lowder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lowder.
Has Lowder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lowder went from 5,449 recorded bearers to 5,098. That is a decrease of 351 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,271 to #6,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Lowder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowder, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lowder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (4,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lowder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Black (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lowder (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lowder mean?
A variant of Lowther, an English surname derived from a place name meaning "peaceful settlement by the river." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lowder (1.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Lowder?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lowder? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.