Explore the Family Name Mcgowen
The meaning of Mcgowen
Scottish and Irish: variant of McGowan.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Mcgowen in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Mcgowen has seen a slight decrease over time. In 2000, it ranked as the 7979th most popular surname and fell to 8606th in 2010, marking a 7.86% drop. Overall, the number of individuals with this surname also declined slightly from 3846 to 3825, indicating a 0.55% decrease. The proportion of people with the Mcgowen surname per 100,000 individuals also decreased by 9.09%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,979 | #8,606 | -7.86% |
| Count | 3,846 | 3,825 | -0.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.43 | 1.3 | -9.09% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Mcgowen
In terms of ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of McGowens identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander almost doubled, jumping from 0.18% to 0.34%. Those identifying as having two or more ethnicities increased by nearly a quarter, rising from 1.14% to 1.41%. White McGowens made up the largest group but saw a slight decrease from 78.16% to 76.65%. Hispanic McGowens rose by almost 19%, increasing from 2.11% to 2.51%. The proportion identifying as Black remained relatively stable at around 18%. Meanwhile, American Indian and Alaskan Native McGowens experienced a significant increase, rising from 0.39% to 0.99%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.16% | 76.65% | -1.93% |
| Black | 18.02% | 18.09% | 0.39% |
| Hispanic | 2.11% | 2.51% | 18.96% |
| Two or More Races | 1.14% | 1.41% | 23.68% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.39% | 0.99% | 153.85% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.18% | 0.34% | 88.89% |
Mcgowen ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Mcgowen is British & Irish, which comprises 62.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.4%) and Eastern European (3.2%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 62.1% |
| French & German | 18.4% |
| Eastern European | 3.2% |
| Other | 16.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Mcgowen
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Mcgowen have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.90% |
What Mcgowen haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Mcgowen is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and I-L22, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Trimble, Mccabe, Phelan, Maxwell, Shipley, Justice, Whitney, Mckenna, Beers, Crandall.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Mcgowen surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Mcgowen have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Mcgowen" Surname 51.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Mcgowen" Surname 46.7%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Mcgowen" Surname 31.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Mcgowen" Surname 17.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Mcgowen?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Mcgowen are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition