Lowder
An English surname that appears to be a variant spelling of Lowther, probably from the place-name in Cumbria.
The #6,271 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,661 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-supported explanation is that Lowder is a spelling variant of Lowther, a surname taken from the place called Lowther in Cumbria. That place-name is generally connected with Old Norse elements, often explained as meaning something like “slope by the water” or “low land by the river,” though the exact linguistic analysis has long been debated. The surname therefore began as a locational name for someone from that place.
History
The historical excerpts link Lowder directly with Lowther, Louther, and related spellings, showing that the form was unstable in medieval and later records. Bardsley and Ferguson both treat Lowder as a variant or related form rather than a separate independent surname. The name is found in English records and later appears in North American surname lists as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers sometimes grouped Lowder, Louther, and Lowther together as the same family name in different spellings.
From the historical record
“r, o, o, o; Bouon^l^.S.),S, o, I, II. Lowder; v. Lowther. Iiowell.— Nick, and bapt. There is not the shadow of a doubt that Lowell is a variatit of Lovell. Far a conclusive proof a Cambridge-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances