2000
#7,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,094
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Mccowan
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacGhobhainn," meaning "son of the smith."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,714 Americans carry the last name Mccowan. That puts it at #7,749 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mccowan 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 Mccowan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,710
Census rank
#7,749
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,111 bearers of the surname Mccowan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7749th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mccowan
The surname MCCOWAN is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning son and "cuan" meaning ocean or sea. The name likely originated in the coastal regions of Scotland, particularly in areas like Argyll and the Western Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named Gillecoan is mentioned. This is believed to be an early variant spelling of the name MCCOWAN.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as MacCowanne and McCowane in records from the counties of Ayr and Lanark. These early spellings reflect the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography at the time.
Several notable individuals with the surname MCCOWAN have been recorded throughout history. In the 16th century, John McCowan (c. 1525 - 1585) was a Scottish cleric and historian who served as the Bishop of Galloway. He was known for his writings on the history of Scotland.
Another prominent figure was Sir Alexander McCowan (1670 - 1744), a Scottish merchant and landowner. He was a successful businessman and acquired several estates in the Highlands, including the Isle of Canna.
In the 19th century, James McCowan (1814 - 1889) was a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. He played a significant role in the establishment of the University of Sydney.
Robert McCowan (1846 - 1920) was a Scottish-American industrialist who founded the McCowan and Company, a successful manufacturing firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was also involved in various philanthropic endeavors.
More recently, Kenneth McCowan (1918 - 2004) was a Canadian actor and playwright. He is best known for his work in theater and television productions, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.
The surname MCCOWAN has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McCowan's Cairn in Argyll and the former estate of McCowan's Land in Renfrewshire. These place names further illustrate the historical presence and influence of the MCCOWAN family in different regions of Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mccowan
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Mccowan 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 Mccowan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.6% · 2,411
- Black or African American31.2% · 1,281
- Two or more races5.1% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mccowan
Mccowan 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
#7,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,510
+416 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 118 places
2020
#7,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,111
-399 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,504 | 4,094 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,386 | 4,510 | 1.53 | +416 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 118 places |
| 2020 | #7,749 | 4,111 | 1.38 | -399 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 363 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 Mccowan 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 | #7,386 | #7,749 | -4.9% |
| Count | 4,510 | 4,111 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.38 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mccowan bearers went from 4,510 to 4,111 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,386 to #7,749.
FAQ
Mccowan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mccowan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,714 living Americans carry the surname Mccowan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,710 residents.
How common is Mccowan?
Mccowan ranks #7,749 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,111 people with the surname Mccowan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,714), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Mccowan.
Has Mccowan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mccowan went from 4,510 recorded bearers to 4,111. That is a decrease of 399 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,386 to #7,749.
What does the Census say about the background of Mccowan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mccowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Mccowan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.6% (2,411 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mccowan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.6%), Black (31.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Mccowan (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 Mccowan mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "MacGhobhainn," meaning "son of the smith." 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 Mccowan (1.38 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 Americans have the surname Mccowan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.