2000
#11,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,407
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Lowrie
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Glenluce in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "low-lying area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,588 Americans carry the last name Lowrie. That puts it at #13,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lowrie 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 Lowrie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,440
Census rank
#13,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,257 bearers of the surname Lowrie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lowrie
The surname Lowrie has its origins in Scotland. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Lowrie, located in the Scottish Borders region. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is Lauerye, found in the records of Ayrshire in 1305.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning a hill or mound, and "ric" meaning a domain or territory. This suggests that the original bearers of the name likely lived in or near a hilly area or settlement.
One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Listed among them is a Walter de Lowry, believed to be from the Lowrie lands in the Borders region.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the Scottish Exchequer Rolls and other legal documents. Notable examples include John Lowry, a landowner from Lanarkshire in 1436, and William Lowry, a merchant from Edinburgh in 1489.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Lowrie surname. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Lowrie (1508-1576), a Scottish knight and landowner who served as a courtier under King James V of Scotland.
Another prominent figure was Reverend Samuel Lowrie (1779-1868), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and missionary who established several churches and schools in India during the 19th century.
In the field of literature, Walter Lowrie (1784-1868) was a Scottish-American author and translator, best known for his translations of the works of Swedish philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.
In the realm of science, Walter Merry Lowrie (1819-1900) was a Scottish-American physician and geologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the geology of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Lastly, John Cameron Lowrie (1824-1900) was a Scottish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lowrie
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lowrie 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 Lowrie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 1,875
- Black or African American7.4% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 107
- Two or more races4.2% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lowrie
Lowrie 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
#12,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,485
+78 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 575 places
2020
#13,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,257
-228 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,910 | 2,407 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,485 | 2,485 | 0.84 | +78 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 575 places |
| 2020 | #13,010 | 2,257 | 0.76 | -228 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 525 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 Lowrie 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 | #12,485 | #13,010 | -4.2% |
| Count | 2,485 | 2,257 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.76 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lowrie bearers went from 2,485 to 2,257 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,485 to #13,010.
FAQ
Lowrie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lowrie?
Name Census estimates that about 2,588 living Americans carry the surname Lowrie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,440 residents.
How common is Lowrie?
Lowrie ranks #13,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,257 people with the surname Lowrie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,588), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Lowrie.
Has Lowrie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lowrie went from 2,485 recorded bearers to 2,257. That is a decrease of 228 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,485 to #13,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Lowrie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Lowrie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (1,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lowrie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (7.4%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Lowrie (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 Lowrie mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Glenluce in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "low-lying area." 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 Lowrie (0.76 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 share the surname Lowrie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.