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

McGowen, 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 McGowen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McGowen in America

McGowen is the 8606th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McGowen surname appeared 3,825 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 McGowen.

We can also compare 2010 data for McGowen 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 McGowen

The surname McGowen originated in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be a variant of the Scottish surname McGown, which is derived from the Gaelic name "Maol Chomhghaill," meaning "servant of St. Comgall." St. Comgall was an Irish saint and founder of the famous monastery of Bangor in County Down, Ireland, in the 6th century.

McGowen is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding a prefix such as "Mac" (Gaelic for "son of") to a personal name or an occupation. The name likely originated in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where Gaelic was widely spoken.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McGowen name can be found in the Privy Council Register of Scotland in 1592, which mentions a certain "Johnne M'Gowin." Another early record is from the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland in 1597, which refers to "Johnne M'Gowne."

In the 17th century, the name McGowen appeared in various Scottish records, such as the Dunfermline Register of Baptisms in 1648, which lists the baptism of "Margaret McGowen." The name was also found in the Parish Register of Maybole, Ayrshire, in 1685, which records the marriage of "John McGowen and Euphan Hamiltoun."

One notable individual with the surname McGowen was William McGowen (1927-2012), an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the CEO of MCI Communications Corporation from 1968 to 1992. He was instrumental in transforming MCI from a small company into a telecommunications giant.

Another noteworthy figure was John McGowen (1818-1898), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1865 to 1867.

In the literary world, John P. McGowen (1902-1982) was an American author and historian known for his works on the American West, including "Sidesaddle and Goldenrod: A Glimpse of the Panama and the Pacific Coast in the Early Sixties" and "Life Woven with Song."

The McGowen name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McGowansland, a small village in South Ayrshire, and McGowans Farm, a former estate in Renfrewshire.

While the surname McGowen is not as common as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McGowen

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

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

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

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