2000
#6,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Lower
An occupational surname referring to a rope maker or someone who lived on a lower floor or level.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,941 Americans carry the last name Lower. That puts it at #7,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lower 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 Lower with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,369
Census rank
#7,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,309 bearers of the surname Lower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lower, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lower
The surname LOWER is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "louwer", which means "one who lives lower down on a hill or stream". It dates back to the early medieval period in England.
The name was initially found in various counties across southern and central England, particularly in areas with undulating landscapes or settlements near rivers and streams. Similar spellings include Louwer, Lowere, and Loure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOWER appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Ælfric Louwere in Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, the surname LOWER can be found in various legal and manorial records, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Feet of Fines. One notable example is Robert le Lower, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name LOWER was often associated with place names that included the word "lower", such as Lower Slaughter in Gloucestershire and Lower Winchendon in Buckinghamshire. This suggests that some individuals with the surname may have derived their name from the location where they lived or held land.
Notable individuals with the surname LOWER throughout history include:
1. Sir Sampson Lower (1570-1630), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Arundel.
2. Mark Antony Lower (1813-1876), an English antiquary and genealogist, best known for his work on English surnames.
3. Richard Lower (1631-1691), an English physician and anatomist, who was one of the pioneers of blood transfusion.
4. Michael Lower (1616-1670), an English writer and poet, known for his translations of Greek and Latin works.
5. William Lower (1570-1615), an English clergyman and academic, who served as the Rector of Ufford in Northamptonshire.
The surname LOWER continues to be found in various parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals with this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lower
Among Census respondents with the surname Lower, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lower 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 Lower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,939
- Two or more races3.9% · 170
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 116
- Black or African American0.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lower
Lower 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
#7,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,653
+162 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 288 places
2020
#7,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,309
-344 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,895 | 4,491 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,183 | 4,653 | 1.58 | +162 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 288 places |
| 2020 | #7,458 | 4,309 | 1.44 | -344 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 275 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 Lower 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 | #7,183 | #7,458 | -3.8% |
| Count | 4,653 | 4,309 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.44 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lower bearers went from 4,653 to 4,309 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,183 to #7,458.
FAQ
Lower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lower?
Name Census estimates that about 4,941 living Americans carry the surname Lower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,369 residents.
How common is Lower?
Lower ranks #7,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,309 people with the surname Lower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,941), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lower.
Has Lower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lower went from 4,653 recorded bearers to 4,309. That is a decrease of 344 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,183 to #7,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Lower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lower, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Lower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Lower (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 Lower mean?
An occupational surname referring to a rope maker or someone who lived on a lower floor or level. 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 Lower (1.44 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 are called Lower?
Want to know how common the surname Lower is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.