Lowther
A surname of English locational origin, from Lowther in Cumbria, with many historical spelling variants.
The #8,196 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,252 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lowther is generally explained as a locational surname taken from Lowther, a parish in Cumberland (now Cumbria). The place-name is usually connected with an old river or stream-name, though 19th-century writers did not always agree on the precise root. In surname use, it simply meant someone who came from that place.
History
The name is well attested in medieval and later records in forms such as Lowther, Louther, Lowder, Louder, and even Loader. Bardsley notes it as a local name and cites spellings from the household books of Lord William Howard of Naworth Castle, showing how fluid the spelling could be before standardization. It is also associated with the distinguished Lowther family of Cumbria, including the Earls of Lonsdale.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley and Lower both treat Lowder and Louder as historical corruptions or variant spellings of Lowther rather than separate surnames.
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