Low is a Scottish and English surname with at least four separate British sources, which the Dictionary of American Family Names traces to words for a mound, a short man and a wolf, and to the personal name Lawrence. FamilySearch’s Family Tree records more Lows in Scotland than in any other country, ahead of the United States and England, and the name has been carried by an Orkney naturalist and by one of the twentieth century’s great cartoonists.
Mound, stature, wolf or Lawrence
The Dictionary of American Family Names separates four meanings for British Lows. The first is topographic, for someone who lived near a tumulus, mound or hill, from Middle English lowe, Old English hlāw. The second is a nickname for a short man, from Middle English lah or lowe, a word shaped by Old Norse lágr. The third, of Norman origin, is a nickname for a violent or dangerous person, from Anglo-Norman French lou or leu, “wolf,” descended from Latin lupus.
The fourth sense is specifically Scottish: Low as a pet form of the personal name Lawrence, which links it with the surname Lowry. Any of these could produce a Scottish Low family, and without a documented pedigree no one family can be assigned a single meaning.
Löw, Lowe and Low from other languages
Migration added still more Lows. The dictionary notes a German name, Löw, meaning “lion,” an Americanized form of the Jewish surname Lowe, and several Chinese surnames romanized as Low, including forms of Lou or Lau, Li and Luo. In the United States these unrelated families can share the same three letters, so a Scottish Low line should be followed back through records rather than by spelling alone.
George Low, minister of Birsay and Harray
One of the most interesting Scottish Lows made his career at the far northern edge of the country. George Low was born at Edzell in Angus in 1747. He went to Orkney as a tutor in Stromness in 1768, was licensed as a minister in 1771 and became minister of Birsay and Harray in 1774.
Low turned his parish years into a sustained study of the islands. He wrote on Orkney’s natural history, commerce, language and archaeology, and his works include a History of Orkney and Fauna and Flora Orcadenses. He died in Orkney on 13 March 1795, and his papers are preserved at Edinburgh University Library.
Sir David Low and Colonel Blimp
The surname reached a worldwide audience through the pen of David Alexander Cecil Low, born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 7 April 1891. He moved to London and in 1927 joined the Evening Standard, where his anti-fascist cartoons made him famous. In April 1934 he created Colonel Blimp, the character most closely tied to his name. He was knighted in 1962 and died in London on 19 September 1963.
Low, Lowe, Law and Lowry in Scottish records
For Scottish families, begin with the Old Parish Registers before 1855 and the statutory registers of births, marriages and deaths from 1855. FamilySearch links Low with Law, Lowe and Lowes, and the Lawrence connection makes Lowry worth a check as well. For families from Angus or Orkney, where George Low was born and served, kirk session and estate records can add detail the registers leave out.
Our Low woven blanket, family crest mug and ceramic ornament are made for families proud of this short, strong name. Explore our Low Scottish and Irish family gifts.
Frequently asked questions
What does the surname Low mean?
It has several meanings: mound-dweller, short man, “wolf,” or a pet form of Lawrence.
Are Low and Lowe the same name?
FamilySearch treats them as similar names, but some American Lowes have Jewish roots.
Who created Colonel Blimp?
Sir David Low, the New Zealand-born cartoonist, in 1934.
Who was George Low?
An Angus-born minister and naturalist who wrote about Orkney (1747–1795).