2000
#14,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Ewen
A surname derived from the medieval personal name Ewen, itself a form of the name Evan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,095 Americans carry the last name Ewen. That puts it at #15,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ewen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ewen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,606
Census rank
#15,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,827 bearers of the surname Ewen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ewen
The surname Ewen is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Eoghan, which means "born of the yew tree." It is believed to have originated in the Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland.
The name Ewen can be traced back to the 12th century, with early recorded instances appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish landowners who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry was "Eugenii de Ergadia," referring to Ewen of Argyll.
In the 14th century, the surname Ewen appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded financial transactions and land grants. One entry from 1369 mentions "Eugenii de Insulis," referring to Ewen of the Isles, likely a member of the Clan Donald.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Ewen was Ewen MacDonald (c. 1310-1380), a Scottish nobleman and Chief of the Clan Donald in the Hebrides. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against England.
Another notable figure with the surname Ewen was Ewen Cameron (c. 1629-1719), a Scottish minister and historian who wrote the influential work "The Scots Worthies," which chronicled the lives of Scottish Reformers and Covenanters.
In the 18th century, Ewen MacLaurin (1670-1746) was a renowned Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of calculus and was elected to the Royal Society.
The name Ewen has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Ewenfield in Ayrshire, Ewentown in Renfrewshire, and Ewen's Island in the Hebrides.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ewen include:
1. Ewen Macdonald (c. 1460-1538), a Scottish chief and Lord of the Isles.
2. Ewen MacVeigh (1763-1841), a Scottish-Irish Presbyterian minister and poet.
3. Ewen Henderson (1862-1929), a Scottish businessman and co-founder of the Anchor Line shipping company.
4. Ewen Solon (1884-1968), a Scottish writer and journalist.
5. Ewen Dingwall (1909-1986), a Scottish actor and film director.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ewen
Among Census respondents with the surname Ewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ewen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ewen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 1,481
- Black or African American8.9% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 89
- Two or more races3.1% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ewen
Ewen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,886
-59 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
2020
#15,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,827
-59 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,168 | 1,945 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,520 | 1,886 | 0.64 | -59 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,352 places |
| 2020 | #15,448 | 1,827 | 0.61 | -59 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 72 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ewen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,520 | #15,448 | 0.5% |
| Count | 1,886 | 1,827 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ewen bearers went from 1,886 to 1,827 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,520 to #15,448.
FAQ
Ewen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ewen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,095 living Americans carry the surname Ewen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,606 residents.
How common is Ewen?
Ewen ranks #15,448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,827 people with the surname Ewen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,095), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ewen.
Has Ewen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ewen went from 1,886 recorded bearers to 1,827. That is a decrease of 59 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,520 to #15,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Ewen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ewen, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ewen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (1,481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ewen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (8.9%), Hispanic (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ewen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ewen mean?
A surname derived from the medieval personal name Ewen, itself a form of the name Evan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ewen (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ewen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Ewen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.