Gowan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Gowan

What does the name Gowan mean?

When Gowan was first used as a surname among the ancient Scottish people, it was a name for a metalworker. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Ghobhainn, which means son of the smith. 1

Early Origins of the Gowan family

The surname Gowan was first found in Inverness-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) divided between the present day Scottish Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles, and consisting of a large northern mainland area and various island areas off the west coast, the shire was anciently both a Pictish and Norwegian stronghold, where the name is from the Gaelic 'Govha' meaning 'a blacksmith' and as such could have been a name that applied to people throughout Scotland.

However, as in the case of clans like the Fletchers or Clarks, eventually the name became attributed to a specific area or region. As such, The Clan was also located in Nithsfield in the 12th century, and recorded as a Border Clan. To the west in Elgin and Galloway they were known as the MacGavins. Due to the Anglicization of the Gaelic name, spellings were often widely different.

"MacGowan (McGowan) is the name of an old Stirling family. Gilcallum McGoun had a precept of remission for rapine and other crimes on the lands of the abbot of Cupar, 1503 (RSS., I, 953). Gilbert Makgowin, a follower of the earl of Cassilis, was respited for murder in 1526 (ibid., 3386). William McGown in Pitcalny, a follower of Ross of Pitcalny, 1592 (RPC., V, p. 31). Murchie McGowy or Muithie McGowne in Fanmoir, Mull, was put to horn in 1629 (RPC., 2 ser. II, p. 341; III, p. 45). Alister McGhowin, an engager on royalist side, in parish of Urray, 1649 (IDR., p. 368). Alexander M'Gowne was retoured heir in the lands of Langlandes of Lochanes in the territory of Dumfries, 1672." 2

"In the reign of David II there was a Clan M'Gowan, probably located somewhere on the river Nith, whose chiefship was adjudged to Donald Edzear (RMS., I, App II, 982). This Edzear was a descendant of Dunegal of Stranith (Nithsdale), whose seat was at Morton, Dumfriesshire, about the beginning of the twelfth century. The name here may indicate descent from Owen the Bald (the Eugenius Calvin of Simeon of Durham), king of the Strathclyde Britons, who was killed in 1018." 2

Early History of the Gowan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gowan research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1396, 1613, 1631, 1658, 1661, 1683, 1698, 1725 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gowan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gowan Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Gowan has been spelled MacGowan, McGowan, MacGowin, McGowin, MacGowen, McGowen, Gow, Gowan, Gowen, Gowin, MacGavin, McGavin and many more.

Early Notables of the Gowan family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Thomas Gowan (1631-1683), was a writer on logic, "born at Caldermuir, Scotland, in 1631. About 1658 he went to Ireland, and became minister of Glasslough, co. Monaghan, enjoying, though a Presbyterian...

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. 3

Migration of the Gowan family to Ireland

Some of the Gowan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gowan migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Gowan:

Gowan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Gowan, who arrived in America in 1798 4

Gowan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Gowan, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 4
Sarah Gowan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 4
Nancy Gowan, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 4
James Gowan, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 4
Henry Gowan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 4
... (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 5
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 5

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 6
Stephen Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
Harriet Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
Sarah Ann Gowan, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 6
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 7
Mr. F. Gowan, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 7
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 7
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 7
... (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. 8

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
Peter Gowan (1944-2009), Scottish-born football winger
John Gowan (b. 1934), Scottish sixteenth General of the Salvation Army
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
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
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 9

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 10

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: Juncta arma decori
Motto Translation: Arms united to merit.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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/