Contents [hide]

Gowan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Gowan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

The Gowan 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 Gowan family

The surname Gowan 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 Gowan family

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

Gowan 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 Gowan family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

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

Gowan Ranking

In the United States, the name Gowan is the 8,652^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Gowan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gowan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Gowan, who arrived in America in 1798 2

Gowan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Gowan, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 2
Sarah Gowan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 2
Nancy Gowan, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2
James Gowan, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2
Henry Gowan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gowan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gowan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Jacob Gowan, aged 50 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Achilles" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 3
Miss. Mary Gowan, aged 2 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Syria" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 3

Gowan migration to Australia +

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

Gowan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Jesse Gowan, aged Elizabeth, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 4
Stephen Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 4
Harriet Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 4
Sarah Ann Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 4
Frederick Gowan, aged 28, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"

Gowan 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:

Gowan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

R H Gowan, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. H. Gowan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 5
Mr. F. Gowan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 5
Mr. F. Gowan, (b. 1818), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 5
Mr. H. Gowan, (b. 1817), aged 23, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gowan migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Gowan Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Duncan Gowan, who settled in Barbados in 1745

Contemporary Notables of the name Gowan (post 1700) +

Charles Gowan (1850-1938), American and Canadian pioneer and politician
Geoffrey Gowan CM, PhD (1929-2013), English-born, Canadian sports broadcaster for the CBC
Sir James Robert Gowan (1815-1909), Canadian lawyer, judge, and senator
Peter Gowan (1944-2009), Scottish-born football winger
Nelson Lee Gowan (b. 1961), Canadian novelist
James Gowan (b. 1977), Australian rules footballer
Ogle Robert Gowan (1803-1876), Canadian farmer, Orangeman, journalist and politician in Upper Canada
Chris Gowan (b. 1977), Australian rules football player
John Gowan (b. 1934), Scottish sixteenth General of the Salvation Army
Lawrence Gowan (b. 1956), Scottish-born, Canadian musician

Historic Events for the Gowan family +

HMS Royal Oak

Jack Douglas Gowan (1923-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 7

North Sea Flood

William Gowan, British worker aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Lusitania

Mr. G. Gowan, English Waiter from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 8

The Gowan 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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 30)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SOMERSETSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Somersetshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/