The Lowell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,569 people carried this name — #5,302 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 44,800 people counted. That is down 1% from 6,665 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lowell surname

A surname from Anglo-Norman, a variant of Lovell.

A Middle English diminutive of Old French lou + -el (diminutive suffix), meaning "little wolf".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lowell» (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

An early record he cites: Fulco Lovel, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

83 families named Lowell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 462 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

Maine 32
New Hampshire 18
Massachusetts 17
Vermont 6
North Carolina 5
South Carolina 3
Connecticut 1
Pennsylvania 1

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

Lowell in American newspapers,
1907–1914.

Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Lowell
The Sun 1907-05-19
Newspaper page from University Missourian carrying the name Lowell
University Missourian 1914-06-04
Newspaper page from University Missourian carrying the name Lowell
University Missourian 1909-01-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Lowell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

6,692 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lowell. The most, 1,323, date from the 1880s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 1,798
Victoria 1,736
Queensland 1,227
South Australia 962
Western Australia 530
Tasmania 388
ACT (Canberra) 24
Northern Territory 4

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

Who carried it

People named Lowell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Lowell
    John Lowell 1704–1767 · Christian minister
  • John Lowell
    John Lowell 1743–1802 · judge
  • Francis Cabot Lowell
    Francis Cabot Lowell 1775–1817 · businessperson
  • Charles Lowell
    Charles Lowell 1782–1861 · Christian minister
  • John Amory Lowell
    John Amory Lowell 1798–1881 · jurist
  • Percival Lowell 1571–1665

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lowell,
in the records of 4 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 States754 records

754 records of the Lowell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 269
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 122
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 121
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 104
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 75
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 35
  • Sacramento County historic burials 20
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 8
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Martin Lowell

    Born 1919 in Michigan. Enlisted 1942 at Detroit; farm manager from Cass County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Marcellus Cemetery, Michigan.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Lowell

    Arrived at New York in 1851 aboard the Princess from Westport, aged 20; cook. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Roy Delmar Lowell

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War I. Born 1884, died 1964; buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 754 records for Lowell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia57 records

57 records of the Lowell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 41
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 8
  • Tasmanian Names Index 6
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Lowell

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845. Married 1845 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emma Lowell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Arabic, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Robert Anthony Lowell

    Insurance rep of Mount Waverley, Victoria; died 1976.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 57 records for Lowell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada33 records

33 records of the Lowell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 23
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Lowell

    Buried in 1967 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 75.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Francis Q. Lowell

    Died 1944 in Lawrencetown, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frank Lowell

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 33 records for Lowell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Lowell name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Max Löwell

    From Mariendorf, Teltow. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 9 December 1914 (Grenadier Regiment No. 110).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Gerhard Löwell

    From Dresden-A. Reported missing in the Saxon casualty list of 17 October 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lowell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lowell 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.

See the Lowell volume
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