2000
#7,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Lowther
Derived from a place name meaning "lower," referring to someone who lived on lower ground or downstream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,414 Americans carry the last name Lowther. That puts it at #8,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lowther 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 Lowther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,652
Census rank
#8,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,849 bearers of the surname Lowther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lowther
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lowther 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 Lowther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 3,329
- Black or African American5.9% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 127
- Two or more races3.2% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lowther
Lowther 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
#8,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,049
+114 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 406 places
2020
#8,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,849
-200 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,790 | 3,935 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,196 | 4,049 | 1.37 | +114 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 406 places |
| 2020 | #8,247 | 3,849 | 1.29 | -200 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 51 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 Lowther 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 | #8,196 | #8,247 | -0.6% |
| Count | 4,049 | 3,849 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.29 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lowther bearers went from 4,049 to 3,849 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,196 to #8,247.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lowther
FAQ
Lowther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lowther?
Name Census estimates that about 4,414 living Americans carry the surname Lowther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,652 residents.
How common is Lowther?
Lowther ranks #8,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,849 people with the surname Lowther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Lowther.
Has Lowther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lowther went from 4,049 recorded bearers to 3,849. That is a decrease of 200 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,196 to #8,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Lowther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Lowther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (3,329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lowther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (5.9%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Lowther (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 Lowther mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lower," referring to someone who lived on lower ground or downstream. 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 Lowther (1.29 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 Lowther?
Want to know how many people are called Lowther? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.