2000
#985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.95
Uncommon Last name
Cowan
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a dry-stone builder, metalworker, or metalsmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,063 Americans carry the last name Cowan. That puts it at #1,127 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cowan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,775
Census rank
#1,127
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,577 bearers of the surname Cowan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1127th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cowan
The surname Cowan is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "cú" meaning "hound" and the word "bhadhain" meaning "little" or "son of". Hence, Cowan could mean "son of the little hound" or "little hound".
The name was initially found in the regions of Argyll and Ayrshire in Scotland, where it is believed to have originated. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls recording the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Cowan was John Cowan, who was a Scottish landowner and laird of the Cowan lands in Ayrshire in the late 13th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was Robert Cowan, a Scottish warrior who fought alongside Sir William Wallace in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
The Cowan surname also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have had English origins as well, although it is primarily associated with Scotland.
In the 16th century, the Cowans were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region, with several members holding important positions in the local government and military. One notable individual from this era was William Cowan, who was a Scottish soldier and diplomat during the reign of King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England).
Another famous bearer of the Cowan surname was Robert Cowan, a Scottish philosopher and mathematician who lived from 1774 to 1860. He made significant contributions to the field of logic and was one of the founders of the Edinburgh Philosophical Society.
Overall, the surname Cowan has a rich history dating back to medieval times, with roots firmly planted in Scotland and connections to notable figures in Scottish history, literature, and philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cowan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 23,337
- Black or African American14.8% · 4,523
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,229
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowan
Cowan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,586
+344 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 11.05
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,577
-2,009 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 10.23
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #985 | 32,242 | 11.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,074 | 32,586 | 11.05 | +344 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,127 | 30,577 | 10.23 | -2,009 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 53 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cowan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,074 | #1,127 | -4.9% |
| Count | 32,586 | 30,577 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 11.05 | 10.23 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowan bearers went from 32,586 to 30,577 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,074 to #1,127.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cowan
FAQ
Cowan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowan?
Name Census estimates that about 35,063 living Americans carry the surname Cowan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,775 residents.
How common is Cowan?
Cowan ranks #1,127 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,577 people with the surname Cowan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Cowan.
Has Cowan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowan went from 32,586 recorded bearers to 30,577. That is a decrease of 2,009 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,074 to #1,127.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cowan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (23,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (14.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cowan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cowan mean?
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to a dry-stone builder, metalworker, or metalsmith. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cowan (10.23 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Cowan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.