Low

Low is an English surname with multiple potential origins. One common etymology is from Law, a medieval diminutive of Laurence, itself from the Roman cognomen Laurentius, meaning "from Laurentum" (a city named after the laurel plant). Law developed as a pet form of Laurence, and variants like Low and Lowe 2 emerged through phonetic changes.

Alternatively, the surname Low can derive from the obsolete English noun low, meaning “mound, barrow,” referring to someone who lived near such a feature, or from the adjective low, perhaps describing a person of short stature or humble nature. Another English and Scottish origin is from Anglo-Norman leu (“wolf”), introduced after the Norman Conquest. In Scotland, a Scottish form of Lawrence via pet forms like Lowry also gave rise to Low.

For German and Jewish bearers, Low is a variant of Lowe or Löwe (meaning “lion”). Additionally, Low appears as a Chinese surname, representing variant forms of Lau, Lou, Li, or Luo through romanization.

Notable Bearers

• Seth Low (1850–1916), American politician and educator, President of Columbia University and Mayor of New York City.
• Huang Low (fl. early 20th century), Chinese businessman and community leader in early Seattle.

Distribution

The Low surname is relatively rare in English-speaking t…

• Meaning: from Laurentius (laurel), mound/barrow/lowl/ian>/an>/wolf /lion>
• Region: England, Scotland, Germany, China /United Kingdoman>
• Type: Surname (variant not common}/an>