McCown
An Irish and Scottish surname that likely means “son of Cown,” from a personal name or nickname form.
The #6,744 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,749 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCown is a surname of Gaelic patronymic type, with Mc- meaning “son of.” The second element is generally taken to come from a personal name or nickname such as Cown, itself likely related to forms like Cohan, Cowan, or a Gaelic byname with a similar sound. In practice, the name is best understood as “son of Cown,” though the deeper origin of the base name is not always certain.
History
The surname is found in both Ireland and Scotland and later became established in North America through migration. In English-language records, spellings often varied widely, which is why forms such as McCown, McCowan, and McKeown can sometimes appear alongside one another in historical sources. The modern American concentration reflects these British and Irish roots.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the second element is hard to pin down, McCown is one of those surnames whose exact “meaning” can shift depending on which old spelling a family line used.