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

Lowther, 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 Lowther surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lowther in America

Lowther is the 8196th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lowther surname appeared 4,049 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 Lowther.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lowther 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.

The history of the last name Lowther

The surname Lowther originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Lowther in Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "hlow" meaning "hill" and "hythr" meaning "landing place."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lowther can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Loutrehir." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the Lowther family became prominent landowners in Westmorland. Sir Hugh de Lowther, who lived in the late 13th century, is recorded as holding lands in the area. The Lowther family later established their seat at Lowther Castle, near Penrith, in the 14th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Lowther include Sir John Lowther (c. 1605-1675), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament. Another prominent figure was William Lowther (1663-1688), an English politician and the first Earl of Lonsdale.

Sir James Lowther (1673-1755) was a British politician and the first Earl of Lonsdale from the Lowther family. He served as Lord Privy Seal and was a prominent figure in the Whig party.

William Lowther (1787-1872) was an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held the title of Earl of Lonsdale.

The Lowther family continued to be influential landowners and politicians in the north of England throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with several members holding the title of Earl of Lonsdale.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lowther

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

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 Lowther was:

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 Lowther has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Lowther was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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