Show ContentsLowell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lowell

What does the name Lowell mean?

The Lowell surname is derived from the Norman French word "lou," meaning "wolf," with the diminutive suffix "el."

Early Origins of the Lowell family

The surname Lowell was first found in Roxburghshire, where a branch of the Lovels, barons of Castle Cary, Somersetheld lands.

Early History of the Lowell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lowell research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1454, 1483 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Lowell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lovell, Lowell, Lovel, Leavell, Lowles and others.

Early Notables of the Lowell family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lowell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowell Ranking

In the United States, the name Lowell is the 3,558th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Lowell family to Ireland

Some of the Lowell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lowell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lowell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Percival Lowell, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1639 2
  • Mary Lowell, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 2
  • Thomas Lowell, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 2
  • John Lowell, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1655 2
  • Hugh Lowell, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lowell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Lowell, who landed in America in 1782 2
Lowell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Lowell, who landed in Maryland in 1832 2
  • R N Lowell, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • G Lowell, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Lowell (post 1700) +

  • Carey Lowell (b. 1961), American actress and former model
  • Robert Traill Spence Lowell Jr. (1917-1977), American poet awarded the 1947 and 1974 Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry
  • Percival Lowell (1855-1916), American businessman, author, mathematician, and astronomer who founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona
  • Abbott Lawrence Lowell (1856-1943), American political scientist
  • Amy Lawrence Lowell (1874-1925), American poet awarded the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
  • James Russell Lowell (1819-1891), American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat
  • Dwight N. Lowell, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1904 3
  • Dwight M. Lowell, American politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 16th Circuit, 1899 3
  • Charles W. Lowell, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1868; Postmaster at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1869-73 3
  • Charles E. Lowell, American politician, Representative from Massachusetts 12th District, 1900 3
  • ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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