Ludlow
A locational surname taken from Ludlow, the historic market town in Shropshire, England.
The #8,534 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,069 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ludlow is a habitational surname from the town of Ludlow in Shropshire. The place-name appears in medieval forms such as Ludelawe and Ludelowe, and is generally taken to mean something like “hill by the loud or roaring stream,” from Old English elements often explained as a personal or place-name element plus hlāw, “hill,” though the first element is uncertain. As with many English locative surnames, it was first used to identify someone who came from that town.
History
The surname arose when people who had moved away from Ludlow were identified by their place of origin. Medieval records show early spellings of the place-name, and later bearers could be found well beyond Shropshire. The name remains most strongly associated with England, especially the west Midlands, but is now found more widely through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Ludlow was an important border town in medieval England, so the surname carries a distinctly historic, place-based feel.
From the historical record
“gatc Street. LUDLOW. A town in Shropshire. LUFF. Apparently an old personal name, whence Lufkins, and the local Luffingham, Luffincot, &c. LUGG. A river in Herefordshire. LUKE. The Christian name, besides standing ^jcr se as a family name, has given rise to several others, as Lukin, Luckins, Luckings, Luckock…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom