2000
#1,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,506
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.08
Uncommon Last name
Lowry
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a laurel tree or in a moor or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,427 Americans carry the last name Lowry. That puts it at #1,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,497 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lowry 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 Lowry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,497
Census rank
#1,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,918 bearers of the surname Lowry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowry, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lowry
The surname Lowry has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning a hill or mound, and "ry" referring to a meadow or field. This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who lived near a grassy hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "de la Louri". This early spelling variation highlights the connection to a specific place or location.
The Lowry name is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This reference further establishes the name's deep historical roots in the country.
In the 14th century, the name was commonly spelled as "Lowry" or "Lowrie", as evidenced by records from Lancashire and Yorkshire. These spellings likely evolved from the Old English pronunciation and spelling variations.
Notable individuals with the Lowry surname include:
1. L.S. Lowry (1887-1976), a renowned English artist known for his urban landscapes and depictions of industrial scenes in the northwest of England.
2. Sir Nathaniel Lowry (1547-1622), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.
3. Robert Lowry (1826-1899), an American Baptist minister and composer who wrote many popular hymns, including "Shall We Gather at the River" and "Nothing but the Blood".
4. Glyndwr Michael Lowry (born 1935), an Irish politician and businessman who served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications from 1987 to 1991.
5. John Lowry (1782-1851), an Irish-American military officer who fought in the War of 1812 and later served as a United States Congressman from Pennsylvania.
The surname Lowry has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Lowry Hill in Lancashire and Lowry's Farm in Cheshire, further reinforcing its connection to specific locations and geographic features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lowry
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowry, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lowry 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 Lowry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 19,592
- Black or African American6.3% · 1,512
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,015
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 879
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 770
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 150
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lowry
Lowry 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
#1,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,895
+389 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#1,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,918
-977 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.00
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,323 | 24,506 | 9.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,428 | 24,895 | 8.44 | +389 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #1,454 | 23,918 | 8.00 | -977 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 26 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 Lowry 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 | #1,428 | #1,454 | -1.8% |
| Count | 24,895 | 23,918 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.44 | 8.00 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lowry bearers went from 24,895 to 23,918 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,428 to #1,454.
FAQ
Lowry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lowry?
Name Census estimates that about 27,427 living Americans carry the surname Lowry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,497 residents.
How common is Lowry?
Lowry ranks #1,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,918 people with the surname Lowry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Lowry.
Has Lowry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lowry went from 24,895 recorded bearers to 23,918. That is a decrease of 977 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,428 to #1,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Lowry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowry, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Lowry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (19,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lowry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (6.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Lowry (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 Lowry mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a laurel tree or in a moor or bog. 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 Lowry (8.00 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 Lowry?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lowry on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.