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

Owings, 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 Owings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Owings in America

Owings is the 7585th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Owings surname appeared 4,381 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 Owings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Owings 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 Owings

The surname Owings has its origins in the Anglicized form of the Scottish surname 'O'ing', which is derived from the Gaelic personal name 'Ing'. This name is thought to have originated in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the region of Argyll, during the Middle Ages.

Owings is believed to be a variant spelling of the more common 'Ewing' surname. The earliest recorded instance of the name Owings dates back to the 16th century in Scotland. One notable early record is that of John Owings, who was mentioned in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1592.

In the 17th century, the Owings name began to appear in various legal and historical documents across Scotland and England. For example, a Robert Owings was recorded as a resident of Dunfermline, Fife, in 1634, while a Thomas Owings was listed as a merchant in London in 1677.

The Owings surname has a strong connection to the Scottish Clan Ewing, whose ancestral lands were located in the Scottish Borders region. The Clan Ewing trace their lineage back to Ingus, a 12th-century chieftain, whose name is believed to be the source of the 'Ing' element in the surname.

One notable bearer of the Owings surname was James Owings (1679-1753), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who emigrated to Maryland, United States, in the early 18th century. He acquired significant landholdings and became a prominent figure in the colony's affairs.

Another notable Owings was Thomas Owings (1782-1866), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland from 1817 to 1819.

In the 19th century, the Owings family played a role in the American Civil War. John W. Owings (1821-1899) served as a colonel in the Union Army, while his brother, Nathaniel Owings (1828-1906), fought for the Confederacy.

Other notable individuals with the Owings surname include William A. Owings (1859-1940), an American educator and author, and Cuthbert Owings (1838-1923), a prominent architect and co-founder of the American Institute of Architects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Owings

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

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

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

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