Cowan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Cowan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Cowan last name
Meaning of the Cowan last name: son of Eoghan. Cowan is a surname with Scottish and Irish roots. In Scotland it is a form of the Gaelic names Mac Eoghain or Mac Comhghain; in Ireland it is an English form of O Comhdhain or Mac Comhdhain. Emigrants took the last name to North America and Australia. A curious detail of this family name meaning: in old Scots a cowan was also a builder of dry-stone walls.
Arms associated with the Cowan name
In Scotland a coat of arms is strictly personal and still overseen by the Court of the Lord Lyon, so each blazon associated with the Cowan name belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full Cowan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Cowan story. The full Cowan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Cowan coat of arms. Get the full Cowan report.
Cowan name FAQ
What does the Cowan name mean?
Son of Eoghan. Common variants include Cowen, Cowin.
Where does the Cowan surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a Cowan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Cowan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).