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

McCown, 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 McCown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCown in America

McCown is the 6744th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCown surname appeared 5,000 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McCown.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCown 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 McCown

The surname McCown has its origins in Scotland and Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "macCuan," which translates to "son of the hound." This suggests that the name was initially associated with someone who had a role or occupation related to hunting or dogs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document the submission of Scottish nobles to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "MacCoun," reflecting the spelling variations common in that era.

In the 16th century, the surname was prominent in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles. Historical records from this time period, such as the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, mention individuals with the surname spelled as "McCown" or "MacCoun."

During the Scottish Diaspora in the 17th and 18th centuries, many McCowns migrated to Ireland, where the name became more widespread. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include John McCown (1714-1785), an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War, and William McCown (1839-1928), an American politician and Union Army veteran from Illinois.

In the 19th century, the surname gained further prominence with the birth of Anson Goodyear McCook (1835-1917), an American businessman and philanthropist from Ohio. Another notable figure was John Porter McCown (1815-1899), a career military officer who served in the United States Army and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

The surname has also been associated with various place names, such as McCown Valley in Montana, which was named after James McCown, an early settler in the region in the late 19th century.

Throughout history, the McCown surname has been recorded with various spellings, including McCoun, MacCoun, MacCowan, and McCune, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCown

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

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 McCown 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 McCown 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 McCown was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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