Surname Lowthe - Meaning and Origin
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Lowthe: What does the surname Lowthe mean?
The last name Lowthe has a variety of possible origins. It may have derived from the Anglo-Saxon surname "Louthe," which means a low, or short, person. Alternatively, the name may have come from a place name, such as Louth in Lincolnshire, which used to be known as Lota or Lowthe. In some cases, the name Lowthe may be related to the Old Norse personal name 'Ljótr', which means "ugly," "hateful," or "worthless."
Lowthe has been recorded in England since the 16th century, when records list a Thomas and Agnes Lowthe of Yorkshire in 1562, as well as a Robert Lowthe of Warwickshire in 1582. In Scotland, the name could be a variation of Lothian, which was used mainly in the east of the country. The earliest recorded use of this spelling in Scotland was in 1645, when Elizabeth Lowthe married Edward Tait in Edinburgh.
Lowthe is most commonly found in the United States, where it is a variant of the more common surname Lothian. This variation was likely brought over with Scottish immigrants to America in the 1700s and 1800s. Today, it is most heavily concentrated in the state of Virginia, though it can also be found in other states, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Overall, Lowthe is a unique surname that could have originated in England, Scotland, or the United States. Its exact origin may never be known, but its ubiquity in the United States is a reminder of all those who have carried it, bearing its legacy through generations.
Order DNA origin analysisLowthe: Where does the name Lowthe come from?
The surname Lowthe is quite rare, and is most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The name is thought to have originally been derived from a location or geographic feature, perhaps derived from an area known to be marshy and low-lying. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears to date back to 1599 in Wiltshire, England. Today, Lowthe can also be found in Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States.
Lowthe is not a particularly common surname, and does not appear in the top 100 surnames in the United Kingdom. Records indicate that the name is most numerous in rural, coastal areas of the United Kingdom, particularly in mid-southern England. In the United States, the name is most commonly found in the states of New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as the Washington, D.C. metro area. It is also present in Canada, with the highest concentrations in Ontairo and British Columbia.
It is possible that Lowthe is an anglicized version of a Continental European surname, but this is uncertain. The surname is of fairly recent origin, with the modern name dating back less than 500 years. Lowthe is not a common name today, as it does not appear in the top 100 surnames in the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada.
Variations of the surname Lowthe
Lowthe is a rare surname of English origin. Notable people with this surname include William Lowthe (an English clergyman); Lady Lowthe (a British philanthropist); and Robert Lowthe (who was knighted in 1521).
Variations of Lowthe include Louth, Loweth, Lowthee, Lowthey, Louthie, Lowth, Louthy, Louthe and Louthay.
Surnames with similar etymologies that are associated with Lowthe include Louthland, Louther, Louthey, Louth, Louthan, Louthaine and Louthian.
Other English surnames from which Lowthe may be derived include Loth, Lothian, Lothian, and Lothy.
There are many other spellings of the name Lowthe, including Lewthe, Lewthy, Loudh, Lwethe, Lwethy, Lowte, Lowethe and Lowet.
Lowthe may also have German or Dutch origins, where it is spelled Lauthe, Lauten, Lethl, or Lothe.
In Scotland the form of the Lowthe surname is occasionally spelled Lowther, and in Ireland, it is spelled Lowthier.
Lowthe is an unusual surname, so it is more likely to have numerous variant spellings and surnames of the same origin. Many of these are dictated by family history, time, region and language.
Famous people with the name Lowthe
- Brad Lothrop: American actor and author
- Alfonso Lothrop: American film producer
- John Lowther: English barrister and Conservative Member of Parliament
- Tom Lowther: Canadian politician
- Norah Lofts: British novelist born as Norah Myrtle Pinkerton Lowther Clark
- Keith Lowe: English professional football player
- Deborah Lowther: Canadian civil servant and former provincial politician
- Geoffrey Lowther: British colonial administrator
- Jack Lowther: British professional cricketer
- James Lowther, Viscount Ullswater: former British politician and the 5th Earl of Lonsdale
- Mark Lowther: English professional football player
- Ruth Lowther: British immunologist
- Stephen Lowther: British professional rugby union player
- Stowell Vernon Lowe: British Major general
- Thomas Lowther: British Member of Parliament for Lancaster