McDowell: Last Name and Heraldic Notes

McDowell ranked 702 in the 2010 US Census, with 49,217 people answering to the name. It sits within the 1,000 most common last names in the country.

• What can public data say about the McDowell family name? Quite a lot.
• Where a surname's origin is uncertain, as with McDowell, the best clues come from your own ancestors' parish and civil records.

McDowell coat of arms

There is no single McDowell family crest for all bearers; the honest first step is to find out which McDowell line, if any, bore arms. For the full story, order the McDowell surname pack.