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

McDow, 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 McDow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McDow in America

McDow is the 17463rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McDow surname appeared 1,614 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 McDow.

We can also compare 2010 data for McDow 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 McDow

The surname MCDOW has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late medieval period. It is a variant of the more common Scottish surname MACDOUGALL, which is derived from the Gaelic name MacDhùghaill, meaning "son of Dougall." Dougall itself is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Dubhghall, meaning "dark stranger" or "dark foreigner."

MCDOW is believed to have emerged as a shortened form of MACDOUGALL, likely due to the influence of English pronunciation and spelling conventions. The earliest recorded instances of the name MCDOW can be found in parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, primarily in the western regions of Scotland, such as Argyll and the Hebrides.

One notable early bearer of the name was John McDow, who was mentioned in the records of the Burgh of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in 1612. Another early example is Donald McDow, a merchant from Campbeltown, Argyll, who was involved in trade with Ireland in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name MCDOW began to spread beyond Scotland as individuals migrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One significant figure from this period was James McDow, a Scottish-born merchant who settled in Virginia in the 1760s and played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

As the name MCDOW spread, it also adopted various spellings, such as MCDOWALL, MCDOUALL, and MCDOWELL, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and scribal variations. In some cases, these variant spellings eventually became distinct surnames in their own right.

Other notable individuals with the surname MCDOW throughout history include:

1. John McDow (c. 1770-1850), a Scottish-born architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City in the early 19th century.
2. Margaret McDow (1835-1912), a Scottish suffragette and advocate for women's rights, active in the late 19th century.
3. William McDow (1862-1938), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1908 to 1917.
4. Edith McDow (1890-1972), an American botanist and educator, known for her research on the flora of the southwestern United States.
5. Ian McDow (1928-2004), a British writer and journalist who covered conflicts in various parts of the world during the 20th century.

While the surname MCDOW has evolved and spread over time, its roots can be traced back to the Gaelic-speaking regions of medieval Scotland, where it originated as a variation of the more prominent MACDOUGALL name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McDow

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

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

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

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