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Gowans Family History

Gowans Name Meaning

Irish and Scottish: variant of McGowan ‘son of the smith’ in which the Gaelic patronymic prefix Mac has been replaced by the English patronymic suffix -s.

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


Similar surnames: Cowans, Gowan, Gowins, Owens, Bowens, Omans, Gowens, Gowen, Govan

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Where is the Gowans family from?

You can see how Gowans families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gowans family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gowans families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1911 there were 30 Gowans families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Gowans's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Gowans families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gowans surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gowans ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Gowans. 28% of Gowans men worked as a Labourer. .

View Census Data for Gowans | 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

  • Labourer
    28%
  • Accountant
    19%
  • Laborer
    19%
  • Journalier
    19%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gowans family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 16,000 census records available for the last name Gowans. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gowans census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Gowans

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Gowans. 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 Gowans immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Gowans. For the veterans among your Gowans ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gowans military records

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What is the average Gowans lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Gowans life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1967. The average life expectancy for Gowans in 1954 was 51, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gowans

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