The Low surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,032 people carried this name — #2,979 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,500 people counted. That is up 5% from 11,475 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Low surname

As an English and Scottish surname, from the obsolete noun low (“mound, barrow”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Low» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the low’.

An early record he cites: Ralph de la Lowe, Shropshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Low and Lowe.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 497 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

305 people named Low live in Switzerland.

They live in 15 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 54
Basel-Landschaft 53
Basel-Stadt 39
St. Gallen 28
Vaud 24
Bern 22
Aargau 16
Solothurn 13

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 134 people named Low live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in City of Buenos Aires.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

City of Buenos Aires 42
Santa Cruz 41
Chubut 23
Tierra del Fuego 18
Misiones 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 43 people named Low.

Most of them — 28 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 8 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 28
Paris 4
Haute-Loire 3
Haute-Savoie 3
Dordogne 1
Finistère 1
Moselle 1
Bas-Rhin 1
French Guiana 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

180 people named Low is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 180

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland, 1880s

Low was 11 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 909. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Aberdeen district.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 591 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Low was recorded 85 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 310th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 168. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

309 families named Low, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,704 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 62
North Carolina 52
New York 48
Maryland 35
Maine 31
Pennsylvania 29
South Carolina 17
Virginia 13
New Hampshire 12
Rhode Island 8
Vermont 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 250 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Low in American newspapers,
1901–1903.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Low
The Portland Daily Press 1901-10-10
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Low
The Portland Daily Press 1903-10-29
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Low
The Portland Daily Press 1903-01-31

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 25,539 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Low in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

82,077 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Low. The most, 12,869, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 26,461
Queensland 20,696
Victoria 17,582
South Australia 8,439
Western Australia 4,676
Tasmania 3,517
ACT (Canberra) 479
Northern Territory 54

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Low.

Who carried it

People named Low,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Audrey Cynthia Falconer d. 1994
  • Mary Stephanie Jay d. 1937
  • Gladys Leetham d. 1942
  • Rosemarie Heidecker d. 1985
  • Jessie Low d. 1934
  • Katherine Mary Duff Munro d. 1931

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Low,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,417 records

2,417 records of the Low name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 685
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 584
  • Other U.S. records 1,148
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Raymond C. Low

    Born 1919 in Nebraska. Enlisted 1942 at Los Angeles, California; office clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1981, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record George Low

    Born 1932; from New York, New York. U.S. Air Force; killed in action 1967 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried at Cypress Hills National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record David G. Low

    Born 1923 in Oregon. Enlisted 1943 at Portland; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War; died 1981, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 2,417 records for Low in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,657 records

1,657 records of the Low name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 961
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 273
  • Other Australian records 423
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Low

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Maitland, sailing from Norfolk Island in 1844. Native of Leicester, Leicestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Low

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tasmania, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Perth, Perthshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 37.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Ann Low

    Died 1872 in Richmond, Tasmania, aged 50. Will registered in Tasmania in 1872.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,657 records for Low in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Germany530 records

530 records of the Low name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 523
  • German emigration and citizenship files 7
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johannes Löw

    Born 1894; from Eschhofen, Limburg. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 4 December 1918 (Pioneer Battalion No. 21).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Karl Löw

    Left Kirchhofen for North America in 1853.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Johann Baptist Löw

    Left Ehrenstetten for North America in 1862.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 530 records for Low in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada361 records

361 records of the Low name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 163
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 105
  • Other Canadian records 93
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Low

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Ottawa, landing at Quebec, bound for Rockwood, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Harry Melvin Low

    Buried in 1973 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 82.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Adelle Low

    Died 1990, aged 85; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 361 records for Low in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands119 records

119 records of the Low name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 51
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 37
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 31
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Petronella Löw

    Married in 1825 in Arnhem; seamstress. Died 1848 in Utrecht, aged 50.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Georg August Löw

    Married in 1846 in Amsterdam; engine driver.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Chung Low

    Died 1953 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 55; stoker.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 119 records for Low in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom103 records

103 records of the Low name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 38
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 29
  • Other British records 36
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Horatio David Low

    Born 1893 at Peekskill. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander Low

    Buried in 1941 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 55.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Low

    Buried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 37.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 103 records for Low in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand41 records

41 records of the Low name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 30
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 7
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Louisa Low

    Died 1954, aged 54; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William James Archibald Low

    Died 1911, aged 62; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 41 records for Low in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway14 records

14 records of the Low name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anthon Løw

    Census of 1910: Vognmandsgate, Kristiania; merchant, born 1875 in Ramnæs.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Emilie Randine Løw

    Census of 1910: Jakob Aallsgate, Kristiania; ironer, born 1850 in Fr.hald.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 14 records for Low in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France9 records

9 records of the Low name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Dora Emily Low

    Born 1898 in Paris; died 1974 in Souvigny (Allier).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Robert Henri Low

    Born 1925 in Cran-Gevrier; died 1978 in Argonay (Haute-Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Low in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Low.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Low is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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