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Gow History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Gow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The Gow surname derives from the Irish Gaelic name Mac an Ghabhain, which means "son of the blacksmith." As such, the name was probably originally occupational. It has often appeared in its Anglicized form Smith.

Early Origins of the Gow family

The surname Gow was first found in County Cavan, where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity. The Irish name MacGowan (not to be confused with the Scottish, which roots from MacGoun) is most often hidden under the ubiquitous name Smith. In Irish, the name is Mac an Ghabhain, which means 'son of the blacksmith'; thus its translation to Smith. In England, Horsington Manor in Somerset was owned by the Gowens family from sometime in the 1500s through 1653 when it was sold.

Early History of the Gow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gow research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1659 is included under the topic Early Gow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gow Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Smith, MacGowan, McGowan, MacGowin, McGowin, MacGowen, McGowen, Gow, Gowan, Gowen, Gowin, MacGavin and many more.

Early Notables of the Gow family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

bearers of the Irish name MacGowan, O'Gowan and Smith

Gow Ranking

In the United States, the name Gow is the 13,513^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Gow migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pat Gow, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 2
John and Walter Gow, who arrived in New York in 1820
Alexander Gow, who arrived in New York in 1844 2
David Gow, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2
William Gow, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 2

Gow migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Gow, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. Daniel Gow, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Neil Gow, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Patrick Gow, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Prince Regent" 6
Patrick Gow, aged 19, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1851 6

Gow migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gow Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gow, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 7
Mrs. Catherine Gow, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 7
Mr. T. Gow, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 8
Mrs. Gow, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 8
Miss Gow, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gow (post 1700) +

Paul A. Gow, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1940 9
Charles Rice Gow, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Boston, Massachusetts, 1929-31 9
Nathaniel Gow (1766-1831), Scottish violinist and composer, youngest son of Niel Gow [q. v.], born at Inver, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, on 28 March 1766 10
Niel Gow (1727-1807), Scottish violinist and composer, born at Inver, near Dunkeld, Perthshire, on 22 March 1727, son of a plaid weaver 10
Gerry Gow (1952-2016), Scottish footballer, member of the Scotland U23 team in 1974
Niel Gow (1727-1807), the most famous Scottish fiddler and dancie of the eighteenth century
General Sir James Michael Gow GCB (b. 1924), retired British Army General
Ronald Gow (1897-1993), English dramatist, best known for Love on the Dole (1934)
Peter Gow (1818-1886), Scottish-born, Canadian businessman and politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1876
Alan Gow (b. 1982), Scottish football striker
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Gow Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tenebras expellit et hostes
Motto Translation: He drives forth the darkness and the foe.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851PrinceRegent.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020