2000
#23,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 998
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Gowans
A surname referring to someone from a particular area or farm named Gowan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,175 Americans carry the last name Gowans. That puts it at #25,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 291,706 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gowans 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 Gowans with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 291,706
Census rank
#25,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,025 bearers of the surname Gowans in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gowans
The surname Gowans is of Scottish origin, derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "gobhann" meaning a blacksmith or metalworker. The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century in the regions of Perthshire and Angus, Scotland.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a mention of a "John le Gowan" in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and gentlemen who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, a collection of financial records from the 13th to 16th centuries.
In the 14th century, the name was also associated with the village of Gowane, now known as Govan, near Glasgow. This village was known for its metalworking industry, further strengthening the connection between the name and the blacksmith profession.
Notable historical figures with the surname Gowans include:
1. John Gowans (c. 1570 - c. 1630), a Scottish minister and author of the book "The Olive Branch, or a Treatise on Peace and Unity" published in 1617.
2. Thomas Gowans (1778 - 1849), a Scottish-born American farmer and businessman who founded the town of Gowanda, New York, in 1808.
3. William Gowans (1805 - 1876), a Scottish-born American printer and publisher who established the first stereotype foundry in the United States in 1834.
4. James Gowans (1821 - 1890), a Scottish-born Canadian architect and surveyor, known for designing several prominent buildings in Toronto, Ontario, including the Cathedral Church of St. James and the Toronto Mechanics' Institute.
5. Sir William Eugene Gowans (1862 - 1945), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of New South Wales, Australia, from 1912 to 1917.
The name Gowans has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gowanbank, Gowanhill, and Gowanlea, reflecting the historical presence of blacksmiths and metalworkers in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gowans
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gowans 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 Gowans surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.2% · 566
- Black or African American36.3% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 44
- Two or more races3.0% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gowans
Gowans 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
#23,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,100
+102 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 498 places
2020
#25,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,025
-75 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 2,098 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,683 | 998 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,185 | 1,100 | 0.37 | +102 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 498 places |
| 2020 | #25,283 | 1,025 | 0.34 | -75 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 2,098 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 Gowans 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 | #23,185 | #25,283 | -9.0% |
| Count | 1,100 | 1,025 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.34 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gowans bearers went from 1,100 to 1,025 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 2,098 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,185 to #25,283.
FAQ
Gowans surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gowans?
Name Census estimates that about 1,175 living Americans carry the surname Gowans. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 291,706 residents.
How common is Gowans?
Gowans ranks #25,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,025 people with the surname Gowans. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gowans.
Has Gowans become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gowans went from 1,100 recorded bearers to 1,025. That is a decrease of 75 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,185 to #25,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Gowans?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gowans, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Black (36.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gowans in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.2% (566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gowans appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.2%), Black (36.3%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gowans (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 Gowans mean?
A surname referring to someone from a particular area or farm named Gowan. 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 Gowans (0.34 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 common is the surname Gowans?
You can see how common the surname Gowans is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.