NameCensus.

UK surname

Lowdon

In the 1881 census there were 422 people recorded with the Lowdon surname, ranking it #7,666 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 771, ranked #7,126, up from #7,666 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead and Ryton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland and Gateshead.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lowdon is 818 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 82.7%.

1881 census count

422

Ranked #7,666

Modern count

771

2016, ranked #7,126

Peak year

2010

818 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lowdon had 422 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,666 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 771 in 2016, ranked #7,126.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 501 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lowdon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lowdon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lowdon 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 260 #8,512
1861 historical 317 #8,031
1881 historical 422 #7,666
1891 historical 461 #7,937
1901 historical 501 #8,045
1911 historical 477 #8,114
1997 modern 770 #6,736
1998 modern 784 #6,871
1999 modern 776 #6,952
2000 modern 790 #6,843
2001 modern 768 #6,852
2002 modern 785 #6,883
2003 modern 786 #6,744
2004 modern 779 #6,817
2005 modern 775 #6,773
2006 modern 755 #6,951
2007 modern 761 #6,971
2008 modern 779 #6,903
2009 modern 792 #6,950
2010 modern 818 #6,887
2011 modern 810 #6,857
2012 modern 781 #6,993
2013 modern 787 #7,058
2014 modern 796 #7,029
2015 modern 778 #7,096
2016 modern 771 #7,126

Geography

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Where Lowdons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead, Ryton, Long Benton and Bywell St Peter, Bywell St Andrew (Stocksfield Hall), Ovingham (Ovington, Mickley, Prudhoe, Prudhoe. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland and Gateshead. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Ryton Durham
4 Long Benton Northumberland
5 Bywell St Peter, Bywell St Andrew (Stocksfield Hall), Ovingham (Ovington, Mickley, Prudhoe, Prudhoe Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 038 Northumberland
2 Northumberland 039 Northumberland
3 Gateshead 019 Gateshead
4 Gateshead 004 Gateshead
5 Gateshead 005 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lowdon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lowdon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Lowdon, 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 Lowdon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Lowdon 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, Lowdon 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

Lowdon 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

Lowdon falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lowdon 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 Lowdon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Lowdon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lowdon 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. Durham leads with 142 Lowdons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.59x.

County Total Index
Durham 142 11.59x
Northumberland 88 14.37x
Angus 85 22.29x
Lancashire 21 0.43x
Cumberland 17 4.80x
Lanarkshire 12 0.90x
Cheshire 7 0.77x
Middlesex 7 0.17x
Glamorgan 6 0.84x
Yorkshire 6 0.15x
Devon 5 0.58x
Perthshire 5 2.71x
Aberdeenshire 4 1.05x
Banffshire 3 3.51x
Gloucestershire 3 0.37x
Surrey 3 0.15x
Fife 2 0.82x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.36x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.38x
Midlothian 1 0.18x
Ross-shire 1 0.88x
Sussex 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirriemuir in Angus leads with 42 Lowdons recorded in 1881 and an index of 446.33x.

Place Total Index
Kirriemuir 42 446.33x
Winlaton 33 280.85x
Newcastle On Tyne St 18 56.69x
Longbenton 15 57.83x
Hetton Le Hole 14 90.21x
Mickley 14 725.39x
Muggleswick 14 1176.47x
Mains 13 401.23x
Haydon 11 328.36x
Tannadice 10 561.80x
Boldon 9 205.95x
Conside Knitsley 9 94.54x
Birtley 8 160.00x
Chopwell 8 350.88x
Cockermouth 8 107.24x
Allendale 7 123.24x
Dukinfield 7 16.67x
Forfar 7 33.90x
Hett 7 1458.33x
Toxteth Park 7 4.23x
Above Derwent 6 454.55x
Chorley 6 21.89x
Elswick 6 12.28x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 6 11.31x
Hexham 6 63.29x
Preston 6 4.59x
Roath 6 18.43x
West Auckland 6 133.93x
Alyth 5 100.60x
Dundee 5 3.51x
Earsdon 5 100.40x
Lochlee 5 980.39x
Urpeth 5 209.21x
Bothwell 4 11.08x
Byker 4 13.21x
Ebchester 4 210.53x
Fraserburgh 4 37.28x
Gateshead 4 4.36x
Islington London 4 1.00x
Airlie 3 245.90x
Camberwell 3 1.14x
Coundon Grange 3 111.52x
Gamrie 3 31.48x
Govan 3 0.91x
Paddington London 3 1.98x
Stockton On Tees 3 5.08x
Westbury On Trym 3 10.97x
Barony 2 0.59x
Ferry Port On Craig 2 49.88x
Halifax 2 3.34x
Huxham 2 1052.63x
Nottingham St Mary 2 1.39x
Old Monkland 2 3.79x
Poltimore 2 487.80x
Shadforth 2 84.03x
Benfieldside 1 12.42x
Bilton In Wetherby 1 294.12x
Broughton In Salford 1 2.24x
Coundon 1 20.16x
Darlington 1 2.12x
Ecclesfield 1 3.34x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.45x
Hawes 1 37.45x
Hove 1 3.28x
Little Salkeld 1 555.56x
Lochbroom 1 16.95x
Manchester 1 0.46x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 2.73x
Plympton Maurice 1 61.73x
Prudhoe 1 23.47x
Saddleworth 1 3.18x
Shettleston 1 8.39x
South Shields 1 9.17x
Stanhope 1 7.91x
Stranton 1 2.43x
Whitehaven 1 5.29x
Willington 1 14.12x
Wisbech St Peter 1 7.65x
Wythburn 1 344.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 28
Elizabeth 18
Margaret 11
Sarah 10
Ann 9
Hannah 8
Jane 8
Alice 6
Isabella 6
Annie 5
Anne 3
Ellen 3
Dorothy 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Ada 1
Agness 1
Almyra 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Bridget 1
Catharine 1
Davey 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Harriet 1
Harriott 1
Isabel 1
Isabell 1
Janet 1
Laura 1
Lily 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Margt. 1
Martha 1
Mgt. 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 33
George 15
Joseph 15
William 14
James 13
Thomas 13
Robert 10
Edward 6
Ralph 4
Alexander 2
David 2
Jacob 2
Matthew 2
Richd. 2
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Christopher 1
Edwd. 1
Fred. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jonathan 1
Mandel 1
Miles 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Robinson 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wedgewood 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Lowdon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lowdon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 422 people were recorded with the Lowdon surname. That placed it at #7,666 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lowdon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 771 in 2016. That gives Lowdon a modern rank of #7,126.

What does the Lowdon map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Lowdon 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.