NameCensus.

UK surname

Lowrie

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Glenluce in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "low-lying area."

In the 1881 census there were 1,029 people recorded with the Lowrie surname, ranking it #3,820 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,672, ranked #3,736, up from #3,820 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ford, Govan Combination and St. Monance. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Selkirk and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lowrie is 1,675 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 62.5%.

1881 census count

1,029

Ranked #3,820

Modern count

1,672

2016, ranked #3,736

Peak year

2014

1,675 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lowrie had 1,029 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,820 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,672 in 2016, ranked #3,736.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,237 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lowrie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lowrie surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lowrie 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 905 #3,039
1861 historical 812 #3,388
1881 historical 1,029 #3,820
1891 historical 974 #4,246
1901 historical 1,237 #4,006
1911 historical 574 #7,069
1997 modern 1,532 #3,840
1998 modern 1,577 #3,884
1999 modern 1,619 #3,827
2000 modern 1,615 #3,816
2001 modern 1,571 #3,844
2002 modern 1,652 #3,731
2003 modern 1,602 #3,760
2004 modern 1,615 #3,741
2005 modern 1,564 #3,813
2006 modern 1,569 #3,796
2007 modern 1,571 #3,819
2008 modern 1,571 #3,851
2009 modern 1,614 #3,855
2010 modern 1,658 #3,843
2011 modern 1,635 #3,844
2012 modern 1,646 #3,746
2013 modern 1,652 #3,798
2014 modern 1,675 #3,771
2015 modern 1,657 #3,774
2016 modern 1,672 #3,736

Geography

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Where Lowries are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ford, Govan Combination, St. Monance, London parishes and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Selkirk, Flintshire and Airdrie North. 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 Ford Northumberland
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 St. Monance Fife
4 London parishes London 3
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
2 Selkirk Scottish Borders
3 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
4 Flintshire 003 Flintshire
5 Airdrie North North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lowrie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lowrie

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Lowrie is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lowrie 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

Lowrie falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Lowrie

The surname Lowrie has its origins in Scotland. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Lowrie, located in the Scottish Borders region. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is Lauerye, found in the records of Ayrshire in 1305.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning a hill or mound, and "ric" meaning a domain or territory. This suggests that the original bearers of the name likely lived in or near a hilly area or settlement.

One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Listed among them is a Walter de Lowry, believed to be from the Lowrie lands in the Borders region.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the Scottish Exchequer Rolls and other legal documents. Notable examples include John Lowry, a landowner from Lanarkshire in 1436, and William Lowry, a merchant from Edinburgh in 1489.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Lowrie surname. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Lowrie (1508-1576), a Scottish knight and landowner who served as a courtier under King James V of Scotland.

Another prominent figure was Reverend Samuel Lowrie (1779-1868), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and missionary who established several churches and schools in India during the 19th century.

In the field of literature, Walter Lowrie (1784-1868) was a Scottish-American author and translator, best known for his translations of the works of Swedish philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.

In the realm of science, Walter Merry Lowrie (1819-1900) was a Scottish-American physician and geologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the geology of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Lastly, John Cameron Lowrie (1824-1900) was a Scottish-American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania in the late 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lowrie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lowrie 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. Lanarkshire leads with 143 Lowries recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.42x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 143 4.42x
Northumberland 97 6.51x
Durham 87 2.92x
Fife 82 13.84x
Middlesex 63 0.63x
Surrey 60 1.23x
Angus 56 6.04x
Stirlingshire 48 13.00x
Lancashire 43 0.36x
Yorkshire 37 0.37x
Ayrshire 33 4.41x
Midlothian 32 2.39x
Roxburghshire 28 15.45x
Selkirkshire 27 29.82x
West Lothian 25 16.59x
Kent 19 0.56x
Dunbartonshire 16 5.95x
Berwickshire 15 12.38x
Wigtownshire 14 10.54x
Renfrewshire 13 1.68x
Aberdeenshire 11 1.19x
Argyllshire 10 3.59x
Caithness 10 7.30x
Essex 6 0.30x
Cumberland 5 0.58x
Glamorgan 5 0.29x
Northamptonshire 5 0.53x
Westmorland 5 2.27x
Cheshire 4 0.18x
Hampshire 3 0.15x
Perthshire 3 0.67x
Sussex 3 0.18x
Warwickshire 3 0.12x
Cardiganshire 2 0.82x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.90x
East Lothian 2 1.51x
Gloucestershire 2 0.10x
Norfolk 2 0.13x
Hertfordshire 1 0.15x
Inverness-shire 1 0.33x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.69x
Royal Navy 1 0.84x
Shetland 1 0.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 48 Lowries recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.86x.

Place Total Index
Barony 48 5.86x
Govan 38 4.75x
Dundee 34 9.82x
Kingston On Thames 30 25.61x
St Monance 30 424.33x
Poplar London 26 13.76x
Carriden 23 336.75x
Glasgow 21 3.65x
Kilrenny 20 182.48x
Kilsyth 20 84.96x
Melrose 20 87.76x
Denny 17 86.60x
Dysart 16 40.10x
Newington 16 4.33x
Ford 15 275.74x
Dalkeith 12 45.37x
Gateshead 12 5.38x
Liff Benvie 12 8.53x
Bishop Auckland 11 27.53x
Dunnet 10 181.49x
Framwellgate 10 56.69x
Islington London 10 1.03x
St Quivox 10 39.49x
Bishopwearmouth 9 3.52x
Bothwell 9 10.25x
Dalry 9 25.53x
Woolwich 9 7.13x
Byker 8 10.87x
Sheffield 8 2.53x
Urswick 8 181.41x
West Derby 8 2.30x
Abbotshall 7 31.62x
Arbroath 7 22.78x
Colinton 7 46.82x
Conside Knitsley 7 30.24x
Elswick 7 5.89x
Galashiels 7 20.91x
Horncliffe 7 588.24x
Limehouse London 7 6.37x
Lismore Appin 7 75.51x
Markinch 7 34.81x
New Kilpatrick 7 27.37x
Newbottle 7 43.05x
Newcastle On Tyne St 7 9.07x
Old Luce 7 83.43x
Roxburgh 7 201.73x
Ulverston 7 20.24x
Wakefield 7 9.19x
Bowden 6 227.27x
Bunkle Preston 6 240.96x
Camberwell 6 0.94x
Douglas 6 64.31x
Hamilton 6 6.65x
Howtell 6 1500.00x
Row 6 17.25x
Shoreswood 6 697.67x
Avondale 5 26.43x
Ayr 5 14.14x
Battersea 5 1.36x
Carham 5 129.87x
Coldstream 5 57.01x
Dunipace 5 77.40x
Ferryhill 5 48.03x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 3.88x
Hunslet 5 3.23x
Kilmarnock 5 5.61x
Lewisham 5 2.75x
Longbenton 5 7.93x
Makerston 5 381.68x
Neilston 5 12.84x
Sandal Magna 5 34.08x
Teviothead 5 299.40x
Thornton 5 1250.00x
West Rainton 5 54.23x
Alnwick 4 15.63x
Branxton 4 526.32x
Falkirk 4 4.63x
Hulme 4 1.61x
Monks Coppenhall 4 4.80x
Northampton St Sepulchre 4 8.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Jane 22
Elizabeth 18
Margaret 16
Isabella 15
Ellen 11
Annie 9
Sarah 9
Eliza 8
Ann 6
Susan 5
Louisa 4
Matilda 4
Agnes 3
Alice 3
Fanny 3
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Kate 2
Susannah 2
Amy 1
Anne 1
Barbara 1
Berthia 1
Betsy 1
Carol 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Christiana 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth.A. 1
Emma 1
Emmeline 1
Ethel 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Harriett 1
Iabella 1
Infant 1
Jessie 1
Joanna 1
Johannes 1
Leanorah 1
Lily 1
Lydia 1
Una 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 26
James 24
William 24
George 15
Robert 14
Thomas 13
Henry 7
Alexander 6
Charles 6
David 6
Wm. 5
Ernest 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Francis 3
Frank 3
Joseph 3
Alfred 2
Andrew 2
Chas. 2
Ebenezer 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Ralph 2
Willm. 2
Anthony 1
Attwood 1
Benjamin 1
Christian 1
Dan 1
Eward 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Gilbert 1
Harold 1
Jopling 1
Lester 1
M. 1
Mark 1
Martin 1
Morris 1
Percy 1
Phillip 1
Reginald 1
Rowland 1
Samuel 1
Stoddart 1

FAQ

Lowrie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lowrie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,029 people were recorded with the Lowrie surname. That placed it at #3,820 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lowrie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,672 in 2016. That gives Lowrie a modern rank of #3,736.

What does the Lowrie surname mean?

A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place near Glenluce in Dumfriesshire, likely meaning "low-lying area."

What does the Lowrie map show?

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