The McCowan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,510 people carried this name — #7,386 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 65,400 people counted. That is up 10% from 4,094 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McCowan surname

Anglicized form of either Scottish Gaelic Mac Eoghain (“son of Eoghan”) or Mac Gille Comghain (“son of the servant of (Saint) Comghan”), from which also McElhone.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McCowan» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, McCowan was counted together with McCown: 43 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 243 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McCown, McCoun, McCowan, McCowen, McCowin, McKowan, McKowen, McKown, McOwen, Mcown. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 13
South Carolina 11
New York 9
North Carolina 5
Maine 3
Massachusetts 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McCowan in American newspapers,
1888–1903.

Newspaper page from The Memphis Appeal carrying the name McCowan
The Memphis Appeal 1888-06-17
Newspaper page from The Columbus Commercial carrying the name McCowan
The Columbus Commercial 1903-04-22
Newspaper page from The Indian Leader carrying the name McCowan
The Indian Leader 1901-10-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 15,321 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McCowan in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1990s.

7,085 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McCowan. The most, 2,404, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 3,746
New South Wales 1,619
Victoria 1,058
Western Australia 292
South Australia 221
Tasmania 119
ACT (Canberra) 16
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McCowan.

Who carried it

People named McCowan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Bob McCowan
    Bob McCowan 1875–1941 · rugby union player
  • George McCowan 1927–1995 · film director
  • John McCowan 1863–1900 · physicist
  • William McCowan 1891– · cricketer
  • Alexander McCowan 1853–1939 · politician
  • Sir David McCowan, 1st Baronet 1860–1937 · rugby union player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McCowan,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States355 records

355 records of the McCowan name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 133
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 67
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 55
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 37
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 36
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 16
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William J. McCowan

    Born 1919 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Tyler; cement from Montgomery County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Dallas - Fort Worth National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard C. McCowan

    Born 1932; from Lincoln County, Kentucky. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; declared dead 1951 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Janet McCowan

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Warren from Glasgow, aged 17; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 355 records for McCowan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia191 records

191 records of the McCowan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 113
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 38
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 35
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Hugh McCowan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Nithsdale, arriving 1830; certificate of freedom 1845.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Letitia McCowan

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Golconda, aged 26; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Lauder McCowan

    Retired of North Balwyn, Victoria; died 1989.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 191 records for McCowan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada39 records

39 records of the McCowan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 27
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Harvey McCowan

    Buried in 1987 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 72.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Carolina Amelia McCowan

    Died 1954 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Douglas Alexander McCowan

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 39 records for McCowan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the McCowan name in the United Kingdom Stirling Council burial records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Arnott McCowan

    Died 1981, aged 53; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McCowan

    Buried in 1949 at Blairdrummond Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 66.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William McCowan

    Died 1906, aged 73; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 25 records for McCowan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McCowan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McCowan is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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