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

McKown, 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 McKown surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McKown in America

McKown is the 9177th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McKown surname appeared 3,554 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 McKown.

We can also compare 2010 data for McKown 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 McKown

The surname MCKOWN originates from Scotland, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic name "MacEwen" or "MacEwan," derived from the personal name Ewan, itself a form of the name Evan or John. The prefix "Mac" in Scottish names means "son of."

The MCKOWN name was prevalent in the region of Argyll and the Highlands of Scotland, where the MacEwens were a prominent clan. Early records show the name appearing in various spellings, such as McKowne, McCowan, and McKeown, reflecting the phonetic nature of Scottish naming conventions.

In the 17th century, the MCKOWN name can be found in the Bute Parish Register of 1636, which lists several individuals bearing this surname. One notable figure was John McKowan, a Scottish minister who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

As the Scottish diaspora unfolded, the MCKOWN name spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas. Records from the 18th century show instances of the name in Ireland, where some branches of the family settled.

Among the earliest recorded examples of the MCKOWN surname in America is Robert McKowan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1772. Another notable figure was John McKown, born in 1774 in Ireland, who later immigrated to the United States and became a prominent Presbyterian minister in Ohio.

In the 19th century, several individuals with the MCKOWN surname made their mark. One such person was Joseph McKown (1810-1900), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Another notable bearer of the MCKOWN name was James McKown (1819-1876), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1876.

The MCKOWN surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as McKownston and McKownbury, reflecting the historical presence of the family in certain areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McKown

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

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

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

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