Cowan Family History

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Cowan Name Meaning

Scottish: reduced form of McCowen.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Gowan, Rowan, Coan, Cohan, Cogan, Cowen, Cowans, Cowin, Gowen, Dolan

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Cowan Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Cowan name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Cowan. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    48%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    23%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Cowan Family Origin

Where is the Cowan family from?

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You can see how Cowan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cowan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cowan families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 536 Cowan families living in Lancashire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Cowan's in the UK. Lancashire had the highest population of Cowan families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cowan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Cowan

Cowan Family Occupations

What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Coal Miner, Annuitant and Carter were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Cowan. The most common Cowan occupation in the UK was Coal Miner. 5% of Cowan's were Coal Miners. A less common occupation for the Cowan family was Farmer.

View Census data for Cowan | Data not to scale

  • Coal Miner

    5%

  • Annuitant

    2%

  • Carter

    2%

  • Farmer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Cowan ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Cowan Historical Records

What Cowan family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 287,000 census records available for the last name Cowan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cowan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Cowan

Passenger List

There are 44,000 immigration records available for the last name Cowan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Cowan immigration records

Draft Card

There are 46,000 military records available for the last name Cowan. For the veterans among your Cowan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cowan military records

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Cowan Life Expectancy

What is the average Cowan lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Cowan life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Cowan in 1941 was 33, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cowan

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Cowan ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Cowan Family Ancestors

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