1949 MP. Discovered 1949 June 21 by H. L. Giclas and R. D. Schaldach at Flagstaff.

Named in honor of Percival Lowell {1855–1916}, the founder, director and endower of Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell, during his lifetime and beginning in 1905 directed three searches of the ecliptic for a trans-Neptunian planet. In all these surveys positions for all the minor planets found were measured and he was the discoverer of (793) Arizona. (M 4157)

The planet was found with the 13-inch astrograph with which Pluto, the PlanetX predicted by Lowell, was discovered. Lowell is also honored by craters on Mars and the Moon.