LOW
The surname Low is of English and Scottish origin, with evidence that it may also have been influenced by Old Norse. The earliest surviving record of the name appears as John le Lu in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1207, during the reign of Henry the Third.
One of the most widely accepted derivations is topographical. In Anglo‑Saxon England the Old English word hlaw – meaning a hill or burial mound – and the Old Norse word hlá both gave rise to a name for someone who lived near a low‑lying or gently sloping area. The surname was therefore applied to people who resided in such surroundings.
An alternative explanation comes from the Middle English word lowe, meaning short in stature. In this context the surname would have served as a nickname, identifying a man of comparatively modest height. This meaning has long remained part of the etymological record for Low.
There is also a habitational element in the name. Several small settlements in England and Scotland bear the placename Low or Lowe, and individuals who originated from these places were often recorded as de Low or simply Low when they migrated to a different county or city.
Further possibilities exist. The name may derive from the Anglo‑Norman French word lou or leu, meaning wolf, itself ultimately from the Latin lupus. A separate line of belief holds that Low could be a pet form of the personal name Lawrence, which in Middle English was rendered Loren or Lorenc, and in turn was taken from the Latin Lurentius, signifying a man from Laurentum.
Various civil and ecclesiastical records confirm the surname’s continued use. In 1558 the marriage of Ellen Lowe and John Chamberlain was registered at St. Michael Cornhill, London. Later, on 25 April 1577, the christening of Elizabeth, daughter of George Low, was recorded at St. Dionis Backchurch. In the 19th century, a young woman named Mary Low, aged 18, sailed from Liverpool aboard the Devonshire bound for New York in April 1846, her departure noted in the local registers as an instance of famine‑driven emigration.
The heraldic tradition associates the Low surname with a distinctive coat of arms. The shield is red, bearing two silver wolves passant, a motif that reflects the possible linguistic link with the Latin lupus or the French lou. The crest consists of a single silver wolf passant, again reinforcing the iconography connected with the name’s legend.
Over the centuries the surname Low has remained a modest but enduring marker of identity in Britain, appearing in historical documents, parish registers, and heraldic records. Its multiple origins encapsulate the linguistic diversity of the British Isles, ranging from Old English and Old Norse topography to Middle English nicknaming practices and cross‑cultural influences from Norman French and Latin sources. The name continues to be borne by families across England and Scotland, a testament to its deep roots in the nation's social history.
Typical given names associated with the Low surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Low in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 9,372 people named Low in the UK. That makes it the 1,000th most common surname in Britain. Around 144 in a million people in Britain are named Low.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Low
- Andy Fairweather Low - Welsh singer, guitarist and songwriter
- David Low - Cartoonist (1891 to 1963)
- Toby Low, 1st Baron Aldington - Politician (1914 to 2000)
- Nicky Low - Scottish football player
- Colin Low, Baron Low of Dalston - Politician
- Hugh Low - Naturalist (1824 to 1905)
- Sidney Low - Journalist and historian (1857 to 1932)
- Kieran Low - Scottish rugby union player
- Rachael Low - Film historian (1923 to 2014)
- Charles Low, 2nd Baron Aldington - 2nd Baron Aldington
- Moray Low - Scottish rugby union player
- Anthony Low - Historian (1927 to 2015)
- John Low - Charity executive
- Archibald Reith Low - (1878 to 1969)
- Gordon Low - Scottish football player
- James Low - Scottish football player (1894 to 1960)
- Roy Low - Football player
- Norman Low - Football player, football manager (1914 to 1994)
- Barbara Low - American biochemist and biophysicist (1920 to 2019)
- Annie Rose Laing née Annie Rose Low - Painter (1869 to 1946)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.