2000
#10,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,968
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Gowan
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "gobha" or "goba" meaning "smith" or "metalworker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,178 Americans carry the last name Gowan. That puts it at #10,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,852 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gowan 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 Gowan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,852
Census rank
#10,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,771 bearers of the surname Gowan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gowan
The surname "GOWAN" originated in Scotland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "gobhann," meaning "smith" or "metalworker." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with an occupational trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gouan" in this document, indicating an early spelling variation.
Throughout the centuries, the name has been recorded with various spellings, including Gowan, Gouan, Gowane, and Govan. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.
The name "GOWAN" has also been linked to certain place names in Scotland, such as the town of Govan, located near Glasgow. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their association with these locations.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname "GOWAN" include:
1. John Gowan (1576-1633), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1623.
2. Sir Robert Gowan (1603-1658), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Scotland.
3. Thomas Gowan (1631-1704), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization of South Carolina in the late 17th century.
4. John Gowan (1766-1842), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
5. James Gowan (1793-1888), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Edinburgh.
While the name "GOWAN" has been present in various historical records and manuscripts, its origins can be traced back to Scotland, where it was likely derived from an occupational term referring to metalworkers or smiths. The name has undergone various spelling variations over time and has been associated with certain Scottish place names as well.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gowan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gowan 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 Gowan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,405
- Two or more races4.4% · 123
- Black or African American4.0% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gowan
Gowan 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
#10,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,941
-27 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 811 places
2020
#10,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,771
-170 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,018 | 2,968 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,829 | 2,941 | 1.00 | -27 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 811 places |
| 2020 | #10,972 | 2,771 | 0.93 | -170 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 143 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 Gowan 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 | #10,829 | #10,972 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,941 | 2,771 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.93 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gowan bearers went from 2,941 to 2,771 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,829 to #10,972.
FAQ
Gowan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gowan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,178 living Americans carry the surname Gowan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,852 residents.
How common is Gowan?
Gowan ranks #10,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,771 people with the surname Gowan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Gowan.
Has Gowan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gowan went from 2,941 recorded bearers to 2,771. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,829 to #10,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Gowan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Gowan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gowan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (4.0%). 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 Gowan (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 Gowan mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "gobha" or "goba" meaning "smith" or "metalworker." 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 Gowan (0.93 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 surname Gowan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.