The Lowry surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,895 people carried this name — #1,428 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,800 people counted. That is up 2% from 24,506 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lowry surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

Also compare Lowery.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lowry» (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 baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Lawrence’.

His entry covers Lowrie, Lowry, Laurie, Lawry, Lawrie and Lory.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 71 births for the Lowry name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,200 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Antrim, and Down.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 37
Leinster 21
Connacht 9
Munster 4

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 32 people named Lowry 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 17
Buenos Aires Province 15

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

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Lowry was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Northumberland: 14 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 714. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Lowry and Lowrey.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 14
Durham 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

177 families named Lowry, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 971 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 18 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

Pennsylvania 56
North Carolina 27
South Carolina 24
New York 21
Maryland 19
Virginia 17
Connecticut 6
Vermont 3
Maine 2
New Hampshire 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

Lowry in American newspapers,
1871–1904.

Newspaper page from Sistersville Daily Oil Review carrying the name Lowry
Sistersville Daily Oil Review 1904-02-26
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Lowry
Daily Kennebec Journal 1871-03-18
Newspaper page from Sistersville Daily Oil Review carrying the name Lowry
Sistersville Daily Oil Review 1904-02-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,281 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lowry in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

21,507 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lowry. The most, 4,347, 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 Western Australia, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,231
Queensland 4,870
Victoria 4,452
Western Australia 3,595
Tasmania 1,262
South Australia 948
ACT (Canberra) 62
Northern Territory 32

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

Who carried it

People named Lowry,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Lowry d. 1669 · politician
  • Arthur Willoughby George Lowry Cole d. 1915 · military officer
  • Robert K. Lowry d. 1826 · diplomat
  • James Lowry d. 1846 · naval officer
  • James Lowry d. 1665
  • Mary Anna Catherine Lowry d. 1951

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

In the public record

People named Lowry,
in the records of 8 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 States2,552 records

2,552 records of the Lowry name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,001
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 413
  • Other U.S. records 1,138
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Walter Lowry

    Born 1907 in South Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; yardman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1973, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Tyrrell Gordon Lowry

    Born 1932; from Portland, Oregon. U.S. Air Force; died in an accident 1965 in Offshore, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Lowry

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Kong Sverre from Dublin, aged 25; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,552 records for Lowry in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia694 records

694 records of the Lowry name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 319
  • Tasmanian Names Index 144
  • Other Australian records 231
  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 Arthur Lowry

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the John Brewer, sailing from Sheerness in 1841. Native of Liverpool, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Michael Lowry

    Died 1871 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 77. Will registered in Tasmania in 1871.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Kent, aged 38; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 694 records for Lowry 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) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada96 records

96 records of the Lowry name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 34
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 26
  • Other Canadian records 36
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Lowry

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Corinthian, bound for Bracebridge, 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 Harold Leslie Lowry

    Buried in 1986 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Verginia Lowry

    Died 1926 in Louisdale, Richmond, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 96 records for Lowry in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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. 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand37 records

37 records of the Lowry name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 27
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 8
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Elizabeth Lowry

    Died 1941, aged 93; buried at Rutherford Cemetery, 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 Henry James John Lowry

    Buried in 1968 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 62.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record L. T. Lowry

    New Zealand Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 37 records for Lowry in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Ireland25 records

25 records of the Lowry name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Lowry

    Died 1899, aged 55; buried at Clonburn, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Simon Lowry

    Died 1998, aged 60; buried at Cortoon, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Lowry

    Died 1984, aged 78; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Lowry in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the Lowry name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 16
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Herbert Lowry

    Will proved in 1932; of Shotton, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. P. Lowry

    Lance Corporal, Royal Irish Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Lowry

    Cameron Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Lowry in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. 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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Lowry 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 Irene Jeanne Lowry

    Born 1918 in Pau; died 1998 in Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

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

    Born 1921 in Germany; died 2001 in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Lowry name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James Lowry

    Died 1895 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Lowry.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lowry.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lowry 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 Lowry volume
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