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Cowan Family History

Cowan Name 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

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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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 1911 there were 1,160 Cowan families living in Ontario. This was about 63% of all the recorded Cowan's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Cowan families in 1911.
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.
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What did your Cowan ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Cowan. 36% of Cowan men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Cowan women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cowan were Farmers Son and Student. .

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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    36%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    4%
  • Farmers Son
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    14%
  • Stenographer
    14%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Student
    8%
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What Cowan family records will you find?

Census Records

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 Canadian census records for Cowan

Passenger Lists

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

View all Cowan immigration records

Draft Cards

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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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

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