Find out how popular the last name Gowdy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gowdy.

Gowdy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gowdy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gowdy in America

Gowdy is the 13383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gowdy surname appeared 2,276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gowdy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gowdy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gowdy

The surname Gowdy is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Goddrie" or "Gothric," which itself derives from the Old Norse name "Guðröðr." The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 13th century in the Lanarkshire region of Scotland.

The name Gowdy is believed to have originated as a habitational name, referring to someone who lived in a particular location or settlement. One theory suggests that the name may have derived from the place name "Goudie" or "Goudie," which could have been a small village or farm in Scotland.

Historical records show that the Gowdy surname appeared in various Scottish documents and manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. For instance, a mention of "John Gowdy" can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the year 1456.

In the 16th century, the Gowdy family was prominent in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas around Jedburgh and Hawick. One notable figure from this time was Robert Gowdy, a merchant and burgess of Jedburgh, who lived in the late 1500s.

During the 17th century, several members of the Gowdy family emigrated to Ireland, where they settled in counties like Antrim and Down. This Irish branch of the family sometimes spelled their name as "Goudy" or "Gowdie."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gowdy surname in America dates back to 1718, when John Gowdy arrived in Boston from Ireland. Another early American bearer of this name was William Gowdy, who was born in Scotland in 1712 and later settled in Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the Gowdy surname include:

1. Robert Gowdy (1778-1856), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner in Nova Scotia, Canada.
2. James Gowdy (1815-1888), a Canadian politician and lawyer from Ontario.
3. James Gowdy (1871-1938), an American author and educator from Illinois.
4. Curt Gowdy (1919-2006), an American sportscaster and broadcaster, best known for his work with the Boston Red Sox.
5. Trey Gowdy (born 1964), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gowdy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gowdy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gowdy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gowdy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gowdy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gowdy, please contact us.

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