NameCensus.

UK surname

Low

An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mound.

In the 1881 census there were 2,331 people recorded with the Low surname, ranking it #1,907 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,866, ranked #980, up from #1,907 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fintry, Douglas West and Whitfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Low is 6,946 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 194.6%.

1881 census count

2,331

Ranked #1,907

Modern count

6,866

2016, ranked #980

Peak year

1901

6,946 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Low had 2,331 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,907 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,866 in 2016, ranked #980.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,946 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Low surname distribution map

The map shows where the Low surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Low surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Low over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 6,098 #456
1861 historical 13 #32,208
1881 historical 2,331 #1,907
1891 historical 4,509 #1,041
1901 historical 6,946 #798
1997 modern 6,301 #1,043
1998 modern 6,599 #1,033
1999 modern 6,666 #1,029
2000 modern 6,527 #1,048
2001 modern 6,356 #1,053
2002 modern 6,544 #1,043
2003 modern 6,365 #1,050
2004 modern 6,409 #1,042
2005 modern 6,341 #1,035
2006 modern 6,372 #1,025
2007 modern 6,444 #1,022
2008 modern 6,501 #1,020
2009 modern 6,572 #1,031
2010 modern 6,725 #1,030
2011 modern 6,656 #1,023
2012 modern 6,684 #1,002
2013 modern 6,831 #999
2014 modern 6,908 #994
2015 modern 6,850 #988
2016 modern 6,866 #980

Geography

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Where Lows are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Glasgow and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fintry, Douglas West, Whitfield, Letham and Glamis and Hilltown. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fintry Dundee City
2 Douglas West Dundee City
3 Whitfield Dundee City
4 Letham and Glamis Angus
5 Hilltown Dundee City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Low

These lists show first names that appear often with the Low surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Low

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Low, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Low surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Low household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Low is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Low is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Low falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Low is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Low, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Low

The surname LOW originated in Scotland during the 12th century. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'loch', meaning 'lake' or 'inlet'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a lake or body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists Thomas Low as a landowner in Berwickshire, Scotland. The surname also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1365, mentioning a John Low from Ayrshire.

During the Middle Ages, the Low surname was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, which may have contributed to its origins. Some variations of the spelling included Lowe, Lowis, and Lowrie.

In the 16th century, the Low surname became more widespread across Scotland and England. Notable bearers of the name include Reverend Robert Low (1572-1616), a Scottish minister and author of the book "The Whole Course of Scripture".

As the name spread, it was sometimes associated with place names such as Lowton in Lancashire, England, derived from the Old English words 'hlaw' and 'tun', meaning a 'hill settlement'.

Other notable individuals with the Low surname include:

1. Sir John Low (1788-1873), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament. 2. David Low (1891-1963), a New Zealand-born political cartoonist known for his satirical work in British publications like the Evening Standard. 3. Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927), the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. 4. Malcolm Low (1926-2015), a British engineer and inventor who developed the first compact disc (CD) player. 5. Mary Stuart Low (1857-1946), an American philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for women's rights and education.

The Low surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in Scotland and associations with various place names and notable individuals throughout the years.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Low families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Low surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Angus leads with 1,569 Lows recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.36x.

County Total Index
Angus 1,569 27.36x
Aberdeenshire 750 13.08x
Middlesex 512 0.83x
Perthshire 341 12.27x
Lanarkshire 313 1.56x
Fife 293 8.00x
Midlothian 286 3.45x
Surrey 214 0.71x
Essex 183 1.50x
Lancashire 173 0.24x
Yorkshire 158 0.26x
Kincardineshire 138 18.31x
Kent 105 0.50x
Durham 97 0.53x
Renfrewshire 71 1.48x
Warwickshire 66 0.42x
Hampshire 61 0.48x
Devon 59 0.46x
Stirlingshire 54 2.37x
Cambridgeshire 52 1.33x
Staffordshire 49 0.23x
Banffshire 47 3.66x
Derbyshire 46 0.47x
Bedfordshire 44 1.37x
Gloucestershire 44 0.36x
Somerset 43 0.43x
Lincolnshire 38 0.38x
Berkshire 34 0.73x
Cheshire 28 0.20x
Northumberland 28 0.30x
Norfolk 26 0.27x
Orkney 25 3.67x
Ayrshire 24 0.52x
Kinross-shire 23 14.70x
Northamptonshire 21 0.36x
Hertfordshire 19 0.45x
Sussex 19 0.18x
Westmorland 17 1.25x
Nottinghamshire 16 0.19x
Wiltshire 16 0.29x
Leicestershire 14 0.20x
Worcestershire 14 0.17x
Argyllshire 13 0.75x
Caithness 13 1.53x
Huntingdonshire 13 1.06x
Dorset 11 0.27x
Dunbartonshire 11 0.66x
Suffolk 11 0.15x
Clackmannanshire 10 1.96x
Oxfordshire 9 0.24x
Shetland 9 1.42x
Cumberland 8 0.15x
East Lothian 8 0.98x
Wigtownshire 8 0.97x
Berwickshire 7 0.93x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.19x
Glamorgan 7 0.07x
Kirkcudbrightshire 7 0.78x
Morayshire 7 0.73x
Royal Navy 7 0.95x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.44x
Shropshire 6 0.11x
Denbighshire 5 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.35x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.25x
Channel Islands 4 0.22x
West Lothian 4 0.43x
Inverness-shire 3 0.16x
Isle of Man 2 0.17x
Nairnshire 2 1.06x
Ross-shire 2 0.12x
Buteshire 1 0.27x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Peeblesshire 1 0.34x
Sutherland 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 529 Lows recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.71x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 529 24.71x
Aberdeen Old Machar 195 16.29x
Liff Benvie 176 20.22x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 151 4.53x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 124 11.56x
Govan 113 2.28x
St Vigeans 105 33.92x
Montrose 97 27.91x
Hackney London 96 2.77x
Barony 91 1.80x
Forfar 85 27.38x
Brechin 69 30.62x
Kirriemuir 65 45.94x
Glasgow 62 1.74x
Islington London 59 0.98x
Monifieth 57 28.14x
Lambeth 48 0.89x
Blairgowrie 47 42.77x
Dysart 44 17.83x
St Pancras London 42 0.84x
Dunfermline 41 7.28x
West Ham 41 1.52x
Arbroath 40 21.05x
West Greenock 38 4.41x
Fraserburgh 36 22.31x
Camberwell 35 0.89x
Marldon 35 323.77x
Rattray 34 52.58x
Leslie 33 35.57x
Birmingham 31 0.60x
Craig 31 55.98x
South Leith 29 3.11x
Longside 28 40.91x
Plumstead 28 3.98x
Ellon 25 31.71x
Menmuir 25 155.86x
Newhills 25 21.30x
Barry 24 34.87x
Bethnal Green London 24 0.89x
Kensington London 24 0.70x
Falkirk 23 4.30x
Fetteresso 23 19.47x
Lewisham 23 2.04x
Banff 22 19.73x
Cupar 22 13.81x
Crieff 21 20.33x
Inverkeillor 21 59.07x
Barrow In Furness 20 2.00x
Tottenham 20 2.03x
Auchtergaven 19 40.80x
Tyrie 19 26.41x
Auchterhouse 18 127.57x
Errol 18 34.98x
Mains 18 36.94x
North Leith 18 4.69x
Kendal 17 6.83x
Leyton Low 17 6.85x
Paddington London 17 0.75x
Tannadice 17 63.67x
Belhelvie 16 40.82x
Hampstead London 16 1.66x
Monikie 16 53.23x
St Marylebone London 16 0.48x
Birse 15 64.60x
Bishopwearmouth 15 0.95x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 15 1.31x
Forgan 15 21.37x
Glenmuick Tullich 15 36.31x
Great Dunmow 15 23.56x
Inverurie 15 23.14x
King Edward 15 22.71x
Southwark St George Martyr 15 1.20x
St George In East London 15 2.58x
Alyth 14 18.72x
Bervie 14 31.35x
Durris 14 64.91x
Ecclesall Bierlow 14 1.12x
Glenisla 14 83.43x
Tranmere 14 2.79x
Old Deer 13 11.97x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Low surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 149
Elizabeth 81
Sarah 68
Jane 43
Ellen 42
Emma 41
Eliza 38
Alice 37
Ann 36
Margaret 29
Annie 26
Emily 23
Edith 16
Isabella 16
Martha 16
Caroline 15
Hannah 14
Louisa 14
Harriet 13
Charlotte 12
Anne 11
Catherine 11
Susan 11
Ada 10
Maria 10
Amy 9
Esther 9
Florence 9
Kate 9
Agnes 8
Fanny 8
Lucy 8
Rebecca 8
Susannah 8
Amelia 6
Anna 6
Helen 6
Mabel 6
Marion 6
Matilda 6
Rachel 6
Beatrice 5
Frances 5
Harriett 5
Jessie 5
Julia 5
Rose 5
Laura 4
Louise 4
Margt. 4

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Low surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Low surname: questions and answers

How common was the Low surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,331 people were recorded with the Low surname. That placed it at #1,907 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Low surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,866 in 2016. That gives Low a modern rank of #980.

What does the Low surname mean?

An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a hill or mound.

What does the Low map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Low bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.