Cowan family name history and map
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Cowan in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,275 people named Cowan in Ireland, about 0.029% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 659th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 621 men and 654 women.
Counties with Cowan in Ireland
Down was Cowan country: 29.8% of them (380 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Antrim (358), Armagh (106), Derry (80) and Dublin (80).
Cowan average age in 1911
The average Cowan in 1911 was 29.0 years old, 28.3 for men and 29.7 for women; almost exactly in line with the national averages of 29.6 for men and 30.5 for women. That low figure reflects just how many children there were in Edwardian Ireland, along with high infant mortality and the limits of public health at the time. For comparison, average life expectancy in Ireland today is around 83.
Cowan literacy in 1911
Of the Cowans whose literacy was recorded, 78.5% could both read and write, 6.1% could read but not write, and 15.4% could do neither. The figures were much the same for men and women. Bear in mind these figures include young children; the census itself only counted people aged nine and over when calculating illiteracy, on the grounds that it was unfair to label a child illiterate before they'd had a chance to learn.
Cowan common first names
The most common male names were John (68), James, William, Thomas and Robert. For women it was Mary (57), followed by Elizabeth, Sarah, Margaret and Jane.
Cowan occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Cowan's census form was "Scholar"; 21.6% (275) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (9.7%), textile worker (6.4%), general labourer (5.3%) and domestic servant (2.2%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 11.8% of all Cowans, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Cowan?
The largest religious group among Cowans was Anglican, at 33.6%. The remainder were mostly Presbyterian (32.2%), Roman Catholic (22.6%), Methodist (3.5%) and Congregationalist (2.2%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Cowan statistics (1911)
Number: 1,275
Rank: 659
Average Age: 29
Cowan in the USA (2020)
Number: 30,577
Rank: 1,127
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.