An English and German surname, the Lowe family name was an Old English term of ‘hlaw’ which means hill.

Spelling variations include Lowes, McLoy, Lowse and Low. The German spelling is Loewe.

Lowe is a common family name in England. The name started in Worcestershire. It is also found in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Warwickshire counties.
In Scotland the Lowe surname is mostly in the central eastern region, centered in Angus, Midlothian and Lanarkshire counties.

Across the northeast and mid-west of the United States the Lowe surname is popular. The states with the highest numbers of Lowe families is New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Famous: Keith Lowe (writer from England), Ann Lowe (fashion designer), Mark Lowe (professional baseball player), Omare Lowe (professional football player), Derek Lowe (professional baseball player), James Lowe (inventor of the screw propeller), Richard T. Lowe (19th century English naturalist), Rob Lowe (actor), Gordon Lowe (English tennis player) and Harold G. Lowe (a surviving Welsh officer on the RMS Titanic).