Cowan Family History

Cowan Surname Meaning

Scottish and Manx: shortened form of McOwen and McKeown. See also McEwen. Sottish and Manx: from a shortened form of Irish Ó Comhdhain and Mac Comhdhain ‘descendant or son of Comhdan’ or Gaelic Mac Comhghain ‘son of Comhghan (‘the twin’).

Pronounced to rhyme with Owen the name sometimes appears as Coan and Cohen in Down and has been used interchangeably with Irish Coyne in Connacht and McIlhone in Tyrone.

In the Isle of Man the name is pronounced /'kauən/ (with Cow- as in English cow).

Scottish and Manx: sometimes a variant of Colquhoun pronounced Cohoon in Scotland and Cahoon in Ulster.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

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

343K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
46K	Military Records
44K	Immigration Records
287K	Census and Voter Lists
672K	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Cowan family from?

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 USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 536 Cowan families living in Lancashire. This was about 24% of all the recorded Cowan's in United Kingdom. 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

What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Cowan. 10% of Cowan men worked as a General labourer and 72% of Cowan women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cowan were Incapacitated and Housewife.

View Census Data for Cowan

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

10%

Farmer

Medical practitioner

Incapacitated

Unpaid domestic duties

72%

Private means

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

What Cowan family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 287K 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 UK census records for Cowan

Passenger List

There are 44K 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

Military Records

There are 46K 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

You've only scratched the surface of Cowan family history

Discover More

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.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cowan family tree

Explore Your Tree

Search for another surname

Cowan Surname Meaning

Pronounced to rhyme with Owen the name sometimes appears as Coan and Cohen in Down and has been used interchangeably with Irish Coyne in Connacht and McIlhone in Tyrone.

In the Isle of Man the name is pronounced /'kauən/ (with Cow- as in English cow).

Scottish and Manx: sometimes a variant of Colquhoun pronounced Cohoon in Scotland and Cahoon in Ulster.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Cowan family from?

What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

10%

Farmer

Medical practitioner

Incapacitated

Unpaid domestic duties

72%

Private means

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

What Cowan family records will you find?

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.

Cowan Family History

Cowan Surname Meaning

1 million record(s) for Cowan

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Cowan family from?

What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Cowan family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Cowan family history

What is the average Cowan lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cowan family tree

Search for another surname

Cowan Surname Meaning

1 million record(s) for Cowan

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Cowan family from?

What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Cowan family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Cowan family history

What is the average Cowan lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cowan family tree

Search for another surname