Contents [hide]

Mower History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Mower History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Mower family

The surname Mower was first found in Somerset, where John le Mawere, le Mowere was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1225. Later, Robert le Mouer was listed in Kent in 1263 and John le Mawer was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297. In Suffolk, the first record there was Roger le Mower who was listed in 1305 and in Cumberland Alan Mawer was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1322. 1

In the north of England, the "aw" spelling was most common. 2 1 The name Mower, like many surnames, is most likely occupational in origin; in other words, the first bearer of the name took it because it pertained to his profession.

According to legend, an "Anglo-Saxon, soon after the Norman Conquest, acquired this name (Leofric the Mower) from his having overcome twenty men with a scythe." 3

The name comes from the Old English word "mawan," meaning "to mow," so the first bearer of the name was most likely one who mowed for a living. The possibility also exists that there is another English Mower family whose name is a variation on the Irish name Moore, but this line of ancestry is rare, if it exists at all.

"Mawer was the name of a family that held much property in Winthorpe [Nottinghamshire] and in other places in the county 300 years ago. There were Mawers in Ereiston in the reign of Elizabeth I." 4

In Scotland, the name is derived from the "Gaelic maor, a subordinate officer in various capacities, a steward. The Scots pronunciation is Mawr." 5 Here the name also includes the variants Maver and Mavor. "Mavor is a Speyside surname. Wille Mawar and Johnne Mawar were declared innocent of any art in the detention of King James III in Edinburgh Castle, 1482. Walter Mawer witnessed a bond of caution in 1564. John Mawar in Urquhart was warned to appear before the Lord Regent, 1574, and David Mawer of the Loch (Lochs near Urquhart) was slain by some Inneses, 1576. " 5

Early History of the Mower family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mower research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1263 and 1332 are included under the topic Early Mower History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mower Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mower, Mawer, Mowery, Mawery, Mawere, Mowere and others.

Early Notables of the Mower family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Mower of Devon

Mower Ranking

In the United States, the name Mower is the 12,368^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Mower family to Ireland

Some of the Mower family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mower migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mower Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Mower, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1642
Daniel Mower, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 7

Mower Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jurick Mower, who landed in New York in 1715-1716 7
Hans Geo Mower, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 7

Mower Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

B W Mower, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
Jacob Mower, who arrived in Illinois in 1856-1864 7
Peter Mower, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 7
Piero Mower, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 7
A. Mower, aged 43, who immigrated to America from London, in 1892
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mower Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Elsa Mower, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
Dorothea Mower, aged 28, who landed in America from England, London, in 1908
Ernest Frank Mower, aged 31, who settled in America from Clacton, England, in 1911
Alice Mower, aged 27, who landed in America from Sevenokes, England, in 1911
Cyril Frank Mower, aged 3, who settled in America from Clacton, England, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mower (post 1700) +

Morton Mower (1933-2022), American cardiologist and the co-inventor of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2002)
Caryn Mower (b. 1965), retired American professional wrestler actress, and stuntwoman
Charles Mower (1875-1942), American yacht designer and author
Jack Mower (1890-1965), American film actor
John Edward Mower (1815-1879), American politician, member of Minnesota territorial legislature in the 1850s, eponym of Mower County
Joseph A. Mower (1827-1870), Union general during the American Civil War, known as "Fighting Joe"
John E. Mower, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 22nd District, 1875. Mower County, Minnesota is named for him 8
C. M. Mower, American politician, Burgess of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, 1933-35 8
Betsy A. Mower, American Republican politician, Postmaster at New London, Connecticut, 1870-78 8
Liam Mower (b. 1992), English actor and dancer, shared the lead role in the original London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical, youngest person to win a Laurence Olivier Award
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html