LOWE
Lowe is an English surname that has been recorded since the early thirteenth century. The earliest extant form, John le Lu, appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1207, during the reign of King John. The name is primarily associated with the British Isles and is borne by families of Christian faith.
The English derivation of Lowe is most commonly traced to the pre‑seventh‑century Old English word hlaw, which denotes a small hill, barrow or burial mound. In Middle English the form lowe was used to describe a low‑lying area or a hill, and the surname therefore arose as a topographic label for a person who dwelt near such a feature. In this sense the name is a location‑type surname, indicating a connection with a particular geographical circumstance.
A second line of development treats Lowe as a nickname. The Old English hlaw and the Old Norse word lagr, meaning “low” or “short”, could have been applied to a person of diminutive stature. Ironically, some medieval sources suggest the nickname might also have been given to a tall individual in a form of playful contrast. In either case the name reflects a physical characteristic of the original bearer.
In addition to its topographic and nickname origins, Lowe may be a habitational surname derived from any of the numerous English places named Lowe. These place‑names likewise stem from the Old English element hlaw combined with other lexical components, reinforcing the link between the surname and landscape features.
Although the surname is essentially English, parallel forms appear in other linguistic traditions. In Norman French the word lou (“wolf”) could have produced a nickname with a ferocious connotation, while in Germanic regions variant spellings such as Low, Leeb, Lob or Lobe are recorded. Nevertheless, within the British context the predominant explanations remain the topographic and nickname derivations from Old English and Middle English sources.
Typical given names associated with the Lowe surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- 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 Lowe in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Lowe are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Ginger Nut.
There are approximately 44,632 people named Lowe in the UK. That makes it the 159th most common surname in Britain. Around 685 in a million people in Britain are named Lowe.
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 Lowe
- Rob Lowe - American actor
- Chris Lowe - Musician
- Pearl Lowe - Singer-songwriter turned fashion and textiles designer
- Nick Lowe - Singer
- Daisy Lowe - Model
- Arthur Lowe - Actor (1915 to 1982)
- Andrea Lowe - Actress
- Alice Lowe - Actress and writer
- Ryan Lowe - Football player and manager
- Chad Lowe - American actor and director
- Rebecca Lowe - Sports presenter
- John Lowe - Darts player
- Rupert Lowe - Businessman
- Harold Lowe - Sailor (1882 to 1944)
- Sophie Lowe - -born Australian actress and singer-songwriter
- Jamal Lowe - Football player
- David Lowe - Composer
- Jason Lowe - Football player
- John Lowe - Pianist
- Olga Lowe - Actress (1919 to 2013)
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.