How common is the surname Gow?

1,960 people in the United States had the surname Gow in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 157,523 Americans. It ranked 15,060th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Gow?

In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Gow identified as white (not Hispanic), and 6.8% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Who is the most famous person named Gow?

Ian Gow, British Conservative MP killed by an IRA bomb (1937-1990).

Where is the surname Gow most common?

Wikidata records people named Gow in the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Gow getting more or less common?

Less common. 2,151 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,960 in 2010, down 8.9%.

The surname Gow

A Scottish Gaelic occupational surname, carried by 1,960 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ɡaʊ/ 1 syllable Soundex G000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Gow is more common than 90.7% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

From Scottish Gaelic gobha (“smith”).

Gow is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 1,960 people named Gow in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 157,523 Americans. That is down 8.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 2,151.

#15,060

rank among US surnames

1,960

people in 2010

0.7

per 100,000 Americans

-8.9%

change since 2000 (was #13,058)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#15,052	Linger	1,962	157,363
#15,056	Goetsch	1,961	157,443
#15,060	Bien	1,960	157,523
#15,063	Yohn	1,959	157,604
#15,066	Mitra	1,958	157,684

Who is named Gow

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Gow identified as white (not Hispanic), 6.8% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 3.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Asian and Pacific Islander 6.8%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.9%
Two or more races 2.6%

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Black, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Gows

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ian Gow
British Conservative MP killed by an IRA bomb (1937-1990)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Gow

Gow has the Soundex code G000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code G000.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Gow come from?: From Scottish Gaelic gobha (“smith”).
How common is the surname Gow?: 1,960 people in the United States had the surname Gow in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 157,523 Americans. It ranked 15,060th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Gow?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Gow identified as white (not Hispanic), and 6.8% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
Who is the most famous person named Gow?: Ian Gow, British Conservative MP killed by an IRA bomb (1937-1990).
Where is the surname Gow most common?: Wikidata records people named Gow in the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Gow?: Gow is /ɡaʊ/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Gow?: Gow is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Gow getting more or less common?: Less common. 2,151 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,960 in 2010, down 8.9%.