McGowan
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McGowan is a surname. It is an Anglicization of the Irish and Scottish surname Mac Gabhann.[1] Belonging to the Uí Echach Cobo, located in modern-day County Down, Northern Ireland, they produced several over-kings of Ulaid. By the late 12th century, the English had expelled the McGowans to Tír Chonaill in modern-day County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.[2]
Meaning
As noted further in source by John O'Hart, though not an occupational surname, MacGowan evolves as an Anglicization of the original Gaelic language personal description or nickname gobha, meaning "blacksmith". For this reason, the surnames of some septs of the MacGowan are alternately anglicised to Smythe or Smith. Mac, which may appear in anglicised contraction as Mc, sometimes written Mc or, further, abbreviated M', means in English "son",[3] but, when an element used to form a Gaelic language patronymic in its usage of "They have no share in the promise made to the sons of Adam“,[4] that is "descended" of a thereafter personal named or nicknamed (sometimes by description as in Gaelic language Duinneshliebhe, anglicised Donlevy, "brown haired chief of the mountain fort", Gaelic language gobha "the smithy", anglicised Gowan, or the Gaelic language Ultaigh, anglicised Nulty, "the Ulidian") founding ancestor or sire of a Gaelic clan.[5] The surname Mac Gowan, therefore, translates from Gaelic language to English language as "descended of the smith".
Notable people
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/USS_McGowan_%28DD-678%29_at_sea%2C_circa_in_1945.jpg/300px-USS_McGowan_%28DD-678%29_at_sea%2C_circa_in_1945.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Samuel_McGowan.jpg/220px-Samuel_McGowan.jpg)
- Alistair McGowan (born 1964), British impressionist
- Archibald C. McGowan (1822–1893), New York politician
- Baron McGowan, the title of four Scottish barons
- Bill McGowan (1896–1954), American baseball umpire
- Brandon McGowan (born 1983), American football player
- Brian McGowan (Australian politician) (born 1935), Australian politician
- Charles M. McGowan (1923–2013), American businessman and politician
- Donald W. McGowan (1899–1967), U.S. Army Major General
- Dustin McGowan (born 1982), North American baseball player
- Gavin McGowan (born 1976), English footballer
- Gerald S. McGowan (born 1946), United States Ambassador to Portugal, 1998–2001
- J. P. McGowan (1880–1952), Australian-American actor, screenwriter, and director
- James McGowen (1855–1922), Premier of New South Wales (1910 – 1913).
- Jewel McGowan (1921–1962), American dancer
- Patrick Hugh McGowan (1917-2005), Physician & Surgeon, Liverpool UK
- Joe McGowan (born 1944), Irish historian
- John McGowan, several people
- Jonas H. McGowan (1837–1909), US Representative from Michigan
- Kathleen McGowan (born 1963), American novelist
- Keith McGowan (born 1943), Australian radio presenter
- Margaret M. McGowan (born 1931), scholar
- Mark McGowan, several people
- Martin McGowan, several people
- Ned McGowan (1812–1892), North American Gold rush pioneer
- Pat McGowan (born 1954), American golfer
- Patrick K. McGowan, American politician
- Richard McGowan (1933–2007), American explorer, mountaineer, and entrepreneur
- Robert A. McGowan (1901–1955), American screenwriter and director
- Robert F. McGowan (1882–1955), American film director and producer
- Robert McGowan Barrington-Ward (1891–1948), journalist
- Robert McGowan Coventry (1855–1914), Scottish painter
- Robert McGowan Dickie (c.1784–1854), Nova Scotia legislator
- Robert McGowan Littlejohn (1890–1982), American major general
- Rose McGowan (born 1973), American actress
- Ross McGowan (born 1982), English golfer
- Samuel McGowan (1819–1897), Confederate General during the American Civil War
- Samuel McGowan (1870–1934), Admiral in the United States Navy
- Steve McGowan, several people
- Tom McGowan (born 1959), American actor
- Thomas F. McGowan (1925–1997), New York politician and judge
- Shawn McGowan (1971–Present)
- Zach McGowan (1980-Present), Actor, Producer, Voice Over Artist
MacGowan:
- Alice MacGowan (1858–1947), American writer
- Shane MacGowan (born 1957), Irish musician
- Foster MacGowan Voorhees (1856–1927), American politician, governor of New Jersey
Gowan:
- Franklin B. Gowen, attorney, president of Reading Railroad
- Hunter Gowan, Irish Protestant politician and militiaman
- Lawrence Gowan, a Canadian musician who used the stage name Gowan
- Ogle Robert Gowan, Canadian-Irish politician, son of Hunter Gowan
- Peter Gowan, academic
Other uses
- USS McGowan (DD-678), a US Navy destroyer
See also
- McGowan Lakes, a series of seven small alpine glacial lakes in Custer County, Idaho, United States
- McGowan v. Maryland, a US Supreme Court case involving trading on Sunday
- McGowan's Pass, a topographical feature of Central Park in New York City, New York
- McGowan Station, an island platformed METRORail light rail station in Houston, Texas, United States
- McGowan's War, a bloodless war that took place in Yale, British Columbia in the fall of 1858 and, there, threatened the newly established British authority on the mainland
- McGowan, Washington, a community in Washington state
- McGoohan
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit, awarded to 3 McGowan
- Distinguished Service Medal (US Army), one McGowan General officer recipient
References
- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names P. Hanks ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2003) Vol. 2 G-N p 554 ISBN 0-19-508137-4 (set)
- ^ John O'Hart, Irish Pedigrees; or, The Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, 5th edition, in two volumes, originally published in Dublin in 1892, reprinted, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976, Vol. 1, pp 311–312, 819–820 and 872, for described general historical context for Ulaidh, see, also, The Encyclopedia of Ireland, B. Lalor and F. McCourt editors, © 2003 New Haven: Yale University Press, p. 1089 ISBN 0-300-09442-6
- ^ 4th MacEachen's Gaelic-English Dictionary, Inverness, The Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Company, Limited, 1922, p. 280
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, in 2 volumes, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1971, 26th printing July, 1987, Volume 2 (P-Z), p. 2918 at "son"
- ^ The World Book Dictionary, in 2 volumes, Volume 2 (L-Z), Chicago, World Book, Inc., 2005, ISBN 978-0-7166-0201-9 (set), ISBN 0-7166-0201-6 (set), p. 1528 "patronymic … a name derived from name of paternal ancestor, especially by addition of a prefix … (usage example) MacDonald meaning 'descendant of Donald' …”, Mac in this context is used to claim a national, clan or dynastic membership.