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Owen Family History

Owen Surname Meaning

Welsh: from the personal name Owain from Latin Eugenius (see Eugene). This Welsh personal name is cognate with Old Irish Eogán see 2 and Scottish and Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Eoghain ‘son of Eoghan’.

See McEwen. Irish: from Ó hEoghain ‘descendant of Eoghan’.

See Ewen.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Owen family from?

You can see how Owen families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Owen family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Owen families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 232 Owen families living in New York. This was about 18% of all the recorded Owen's in USA. New York had the highest population of Owen families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Owen surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Owen ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Owen. 16% of Owen men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Owen women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Owen were Truck Driver and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Owen | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    16%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    8%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Stenographer
    5%

What Owen family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 875,000 census records available for the last name Owen. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Owen census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Owen

Passenger Lists

There are 120,000 immigration records available for the last name Owen. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Owen immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 117,000 military records available for the last name Owen. For the veterans among your Owen ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Owen military records

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