Stowers Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Stowers Origin:
England

Origins of Stowers:
Listed as Stow, Stowe, Stower, Stowers, this interesting surname is English.  It is habitational deriving from the pre 7th Century word “stow” meaning a meeting place, but more definitely a “holy place.” The name was originally given to a person who lived or worker (Stower) by a retreat, monastery or temple.  Many places in England are named with this component including Stow cum Quy in Cambridgeshire and spelled Stoua in the famous Domesday Book, of 1066, while other places called Stow are to found in the divisions of Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Staffordshire.  Amongst the remaining early records of the surname in the diocese of Greater London is that of Agnnes Stowers who named at the parish of St Mary at Hill, in March 1582.

Variations:
More common variations are: Stoers, Stwers, Stowrs, Strowes, Sowders, Stewers, Stowars, Stowres, Stawers, Stouers.

England:
The surname Stowers was first discovered in Hampshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Estate.  The Saxon command of English history declined after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.  The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries, and the Norman environment predominated.  But Saxon surnames remained, and the family name first mentioned in the 12th century when William held estates in that shire in 1162.

The very first recording spelling of the family was shown to be that of Winobus de Stoue, dated 975, in the Book of Ely. It was during the reign of King Edward, who was known as the Martyr, dated 975-978.  Surname all over the country became a necessity with the introduction of personal taxation.  It came to be known as Poll Tax in England.  Surnames all over the country began to develop with unique and shocking spelling varieties of the original one.

Ireland:
Many of the people with surname Stowers had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:
Individuals with the surname Stowers landed in the United States in two different centuries respectively in the 17th, and 18th.  Some of the people with the name Stowers who arrived in the United States in the 17th century included Richard Stowers, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1630.  Nicholas Stowers, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1631.

The following century saw much more Stowers surnames arrive.  Some of the people with the surname Stowers who arrived in the United States in the 18th century included John Stowers, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Stowers:
United States 7,524; Samoa 729; New Zealand 540; England 317; Australia 292; France 73; Switzerland 36; Canada 11; Russia 6; Germany 3.

Notable People:
Christopher James Stowers (born August 1974) is an old outfielder in Major League Baseball.  He played for the Montreal Expos in 1999.

Craig F. Stowers (born 1954) is the 18th and current Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, who was selected by Republican Governor Sean Parnell in 2009 to replace retiring Justice Robert Eastaugh.  He was one of seven candidates promoted to the Governor by the Alaska Judicial Council out of a record 25 applicants.  Born in Daytona Beach, Florida and developed in Yorktown, Virginia, Stowers earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Blackburn College in 1975.

Freddie Stowers (1896–1918), was a Corporal in the United States Army who posthumously got the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War I.
George Stowers (born 1979), is a Samoan international soccer player.
Harry Stowers (1926-2015), was an American jurist.
James E. Stowers (born 1924), was the founder of American Century Investments and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
Julia Stowers (born 1982), is an American swimmer.
Saleisha Stowers (born 1986), is an American fashion model.
Shannon Stowers was a New Zealand rugby league player for the Auckland Lions.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

Or, three bars gules. Crest—A rose gules seeded and barbed proper.