2000
#8,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Mckown
A Scottish and Irish toponymic surname denoting someone from the town of Cowan in Dumbartonshire or Ayrshire, Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,791 Americans carry the last name Mckown. That puts it at #9,425 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckown 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.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,413
Census rank
#9,425
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,306 bearers of the surname Mckown in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9425th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckown, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckown
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckown, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckown 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 Mckown surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 3,083
- Two or more races3.4% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckown
Mckown 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
#9,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,554
+36 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 570 places
2020
#9,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,306
-248 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,607 | 3,518 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,177 | 3,554 | 1.20 | +36 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 570 places |
| 2020 | #9,425 | 3,306 | 1.11 | -248 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 248 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 Mckown 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 | #9,177 | #9,425 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,554 | 3,306 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.11 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckown bearers went from 3,554 to 3,306 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,177 to #9,425.
FAQ
Mckown surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckown?
Name Census estimates that about 3,791 living Americans carry the surname Mckown. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,413 residents.
How common is Mckown?
Mckown ranks #9,425 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,306 people with the surname Mckown. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Mckown.
Has Mckown become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckown went from 3,554 recorded bearers to 3,306. That is a decrease of 248 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,177 to #9,425.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckown?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckown, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mckown in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (3,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckown appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Mckown (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 Mckown mean?
A Scottish and Irish toponymic surname denoting someone from the town of Cowan in Dumbartonshire or Ayrshire, Scotland. 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 Mckown (1.11 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 people are called Mckown?
See how common the surname Mckown is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.