2000
#21,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Lowney
An English surname originally denoting one from the town of Lymm in Cheshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,345 Americans carry the last name Lowney. That puts it at #22,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lowney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 254,836
Census rank
#22,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,173 bearers of the surname Lowney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lowney
The surname Lowney is believed to have originated in Ireland, where it was initially spelled as Lughnadha or Lughnaidh. These early forms of the name are derived from the Irish word "lughna," which means "a hero" or "a warrior." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or strength in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lowney surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a man named Lughaidh Ó Lughnadha, who was a member of the Uí Néill dynasty and lived in the 11th century.
As the name spread throughout Ireland, it underwent various spelling variations, including Looney, Lunny, and Loney. These changes were likely influenced by regional dialects and the anglicization of Irish names during the English conquest of Ireland.
In the 16th century, the Lowney surname appeared in records from County Westmeath, where it was associated with the Gaelic family of O'Loney. One notable figure from this lineage was Sir Faithful Fortescue Lowney (1580-1652), an Irish judge and landowner who served as the Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas.
Another notable Lowney was John Lowney (1836-1914), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Walter M. Lowney Company, which became one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the literary realm, Fergus Lowney (1910-1990) was an Irish playwright and novelist known for his works that explored the lives and struggles of working-class Irish people. His plays, such as "The Hairy Lemon" and "The Kaffir's Stick," were widely performed in Ireland and abroad.
The Lowney surname can also be found in other parts of the world, likely due to Irish immigration. For example, John Lowney (1795-1867) was an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco in the mid-19th century.
While the Lowney surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with notable individuals bearing the name in various fields, from law and business to literature and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lowney
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lowney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lowney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,036
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 62
- Black or African American3.1% · 36
- Two or more races2.0% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lowney
Lowney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#23,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,108
-14 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,414 places
2020
#22,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,173
+65 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Up 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,651 | 1,122 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,065 | 1,108 | 0.38 | -14 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,414 places |
| 2020 | #22,483 | 1,173 | 0.39 | +65 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 582 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lowney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #23,065 | #22,483 | 2.5% |
| Count | 1,108 | 1,173 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.39 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lowney bearers went from 1,108 to 1,173 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,065 to #22,483.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lowney
FAQ
Lowney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lowney?
Name Census estimates that about 1,345 living Americans carry the surname Lowney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,836 residents.
How common is Lowney?
Lowney ranks #22,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,173 people with the surname Lowney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lowney.
Has Lowney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lowney went from 1,108 recorded bearers to 1,173. That is an increase of 65 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,065 to #22,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Lowney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lowney, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lowney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lowney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (5.3%), Black (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lowney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lowney mean?
An English surname originally denoting one from the town of Lymm in Cheshire. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lowney (0.39 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Lowney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.