# Low (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/low/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norman |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 12,032 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,979 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 25,660 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.9% (11,475 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an English and Scottish surname, from the obsolete noun low (“mound, barrow”). * Also as an English and Scottish surname, from the adjective low. * Also as an English and Scottish surname of Norman origin, from Anglo-Norman leu (“wolf”). * Also as a Scottish surname, from a pet form of Lawrence. Compare Lowry. * As a German and Jewish surname, variant of Löwe, Lowe, Loew. * As a Chinese surname, variant of Lau, Lou; also Li, Luo.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Low in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 62% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 29% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 4.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Low in the United States and Australia.

## People named Low

- G. David Low, American astronaut (1956–2008)
- David Low, British (Australasian) cartoonist (1891-1963)
- Seth Low, American mayor (1850–1916)
- Mary Fairchild Low, American artist, painter (1858-1946)
- Frank J. Low, American astronomer (1933–2009)
- Chuck Low, American character actor (1928-2017)
- George Low, American NASA administrator and President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1926-1984)
- Evan Low, American politician
- Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (1901–1988)

## Similar surnames

Lo, Loy, Loo, Lóu, Loh, Loe, Loew, Lowy, Loi, Loa, Lowe, Loewe.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.