'lowlander' originates from English, specifically formed from the word 'lowland' + the agent suffix '-er', where 'lowland' meant 'land at low elevation or low-lying land'.

'lowlander' developed in Modern English by combining 'lowland' (the noun for low-lying land) with the suffix '-er' to denote an inhabitant; it came into regular use to refer to residents of low-lying regions, especially the Scottish Lowlands.

Initially, it meant 'a person from a low-lying area'; over time the term also gained the more specific sense of 'a person from the Scottish Lowlands' and carried cultural/historical connotations distinguishing Lowlanders from Highlanders.