The McGowan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 33,340 people carried this name — #1,046 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,850 people counted. That is up 5% from 31,669 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the McGowan surname

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac a' Ghobhainn and Irish Mac Gabhann (literally “son of the smith”).

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 152 births for the McGowan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Magowan. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Donegal, Leitrim, and Sligo.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 91
Connacht 54
Leinster 5
Munster 2

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

25 people named McGowan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 25

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

McGowan was recorded 145 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 160th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 196. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, McGowan was counted together with McGowen: 34 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 185 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McGowen, McGowan, McGowin, McGown, McGowns. 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 11
North Carolina 9
New York 5
South Carolina 4
Maryland 3
Maine 1
Massachusetts 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

McGowan in American newspapers,
1907–1921.

Newspaper page from Evening Times-republican carrying the name McGowan
Evening Times-republican 1907-04-17
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name McGowan
The Birmingham Age-herald 1921-11-25
Newspaper page from Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier carrying the name McGowan
Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier 1912-02-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 133,002 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McGowan in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

33,119 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McGowan. The most, 6,287, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9,518
Victoria 6,865
Queensland 5,063
South Australia 4,458
Tasmania 3,585
Western Australia 3,406
ACT (Canberra) 138
Northern Territory 27

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

Who carried it

People named McGowan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • J. P. McGowan
    J. P. McGowan 1880–1952 · film editor
  • Robert F. McGowan
    Robert F. McGowan 1882–1955 · director
  • Robert A. McGowan 1901–1955 · film director

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

In the public record

People named McGowan,
in the records of 6 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 States8,127 records

8,127 records of the McGowan name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,069
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,683
  • Other U.S. records 3,375
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Lloyd C. McGowan

    Born 1921 in Missouri. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks; photographer from St Louis City. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1971, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen McGowan

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow, aged 18; servant. From Letrim, Ireland; bound for Boston.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Francis Russell McGowan

    Born 1946; from Columbia, Kentucky. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Long Khanh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 8,127 records for McGowan in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,473 records

1,473 records of the McGowan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 696
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 265
  • Other Australian records 512
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Emily McGowan

    Died 1918 in Ulverstone, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1919.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Kathleen Mary McGowan

    Born 1877 in Bothwell, Tasmania. Married 1897 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 John McGowan

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Parkfield, arriving 1839; ticket of leave 1846. Native of Mayo.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 1,473 records for McGowan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada383 records

383 records of the McGowan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 258
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 35
  • Other Canadian records 90
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm McGowan

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Texas, landing at Quebec, bound for Waterdown, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Harry McGowan

    Killed in 1902 at the N.S.Steel & Coal Co. Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Harvey McGowan

    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.

Showing 3 of 383 records for McGowan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom167 records

167 records of the McGowan name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 126
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 35
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 6
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Norman Patrick McGowan

    Born 1895 at Springfield Farm; clerk. Died 1915. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Monteith McGowan

    Died 1956, aged 67; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Elizabeth McGowan

    Born 1890 at Bruntlands; nurse. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 167 records for McGowan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand29 records

29 records of the McGowan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 23
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James McGowan

    Buried in 1912 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 71.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Mitchell McGowan

    Died 1991, aged 72; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Nelson Hewitson McGowan

    Died 1990, aged 79; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for McGowan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the McGowan name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Geoffrey Turnbull McGowan

    Born 1923 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McGowan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McGowan 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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