The Scottish surname MacEwen derives from the Old Gaelic ''Mac Eoghainn'', meaning 'the son of Eoghann'. The name is found today in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Because it was widely used before its spelling was standardised, the modern name has several common variations. The earliest attested use is by a Malcolm MacEwen, who witnessed a charter in 1174. The surname occurs in a number of prominent families throughout Scottish history. Although author R. S. T. MacEwen claimed that all these families, with variant spellings of the surname indicating possible differing origins, probably originated in Clan Ewen of Otter, the history is more complex. The name has varied heraldic traditions, reflecting the various origins. The first MacEwen armiger was granted arms in 1743, and his achievement reflects his family's origins in

Clan MacDougall Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan, historically based in and around Argyll. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in Scotland, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as ...

. However a second grant of arms in the name made in 1793 to William MacEwan of Glenboig, displays Cameron symbolism in both its crest and its central charge. MacEwenEwan-01

If one looks at the geographic distribution of the variants MacEwan and MacEwen in the 1881 UK census, it becomes apparent that the MacEwen variant mainly occurred in the extreme northeast in Kirkwall, and at a lesser density in the adjacent Inverness shire. By contrast MacEwan occurred almost exclusively in the southwest in Paisley (around Argyll). There is no overlap of the distributions, with neither name appearing in the intervening Perth shire. Variants such as McEwan and McEwen are mainly in Perth and more southerly regions of Scotland, perhaps suggesting that these forms arose as people moved in more recent times. There are three versions of MacEwen tartan, the first of which is listed in

Vestiarium Scoticum The ''Vestiarium Scoticum'' (full title, ''Vestiarium Scoticum: from the Manuscript formerly in the Library of the Scots College at Douay. With an Introduction and Notes, by John Sobieski Stuart'') was a book which was first published in 1842 by ...

as Farquharson. As of 2019, there are several recognized lineages. One society of

Clan MacEwen Clan MacEwen or Clan MacEwan is a Scottish clan recorded in the fifteenth century as Clan Ewen of Otter. Historically, there have been several different MacEwen clans and septs, with some distinct, and some interrelated, origins for the modern ...

in Scotland has elected a Commander and has petitioned the

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

to have his arms and Chieftainship recognized; if successful, this would return this branch of the clan to full Clan society status after about 500 years as an

armigerous clan An armigerous clan (from armiger) is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognised as such by Lyon Court. Befor ...

. __NOTOC__

Notable people

;born after 1800 *

William McEwan William McEwan () (16 July 1827 – 12 May 1913) was a Scottish politician and brewer. He founded the Fountain Brewery in 1856, served as a member of parliament (MP) from 1886 to 1900, and funded the construction of the McEwan Hall at the Univ ...

(1827–1913), Scottish brewer and politician *

Thomas (Tom) McEwan Thomas "Tom" McEwan RSW (1846–1914) was a Scottish painter in oils and watercolour, of mainly domestic scenes. History Born near Glasgow into a poor family with artistic inclinations, his father being an amateur artist and a friend of James Do ...

(1846–1914), Scottish artist *

William Macewen Sir William Macewen, (; 22 June 1848 – 22 March 1924) was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery, considered the ''father of neurosurgery'' and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical treat ...

, CB, FRS, (1848–1924), Scottish surgeon * Alexander Robertson MacEwen (1851–1916), Scottish writer, minister, professor and Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland *

John Blackwood McEwen Sir John Blackwood McEwen (13 April 1868 – 14 June 1948) was a Scottish classical composer and educator. He was professor of harmony and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, from 1898 to 1924, and principal from 1924 to 193 ...

(1868–1948), Scottish composer *

Alexander MacEwen Sir Alexander Malcolm MacEwen (10 January 1875 – 29 June 1941) was a Scottish politician and solicitor who served as the inaugural leader of the Scottish National Party ( SNP) from 1934 to 1936. Early life Alexander Malcolm MacEwen was bor ...

(1875–1941), leader of the Scottish Party and the Scottish National Party *

Norman MacEwen Air Vice Marshal Sir Norman Duckworth Kerr MacEwen, (8 November 1881 – 29 January 1953) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century. Army career In 1901, following officer training at the Royal Mili ...

CB, CMG, DSO, RAF (1881–1953), senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the 20th century * John "Cap" McEwan (1892–1970), American football coach of Army, Oregon and Holy Cross * Clifford McEwen (1896–1967), Canadian air marshal ;born after 1900 * John "Black Jack" McEwen (1900–1980), Prime Minister of Australia *

Andy McEwan Andrew P. McEwan was a Scottish amateur football forward who played in the Scottish League for Queen's Park, Queen of the South and Rangers. He was capped by Scotland at amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues ...

, Scottish footballer * Annie McEwen (1900–1967), wife of Australian Prime Minister John McEwen *

Grant MacEwan John Walter Grant MacEwan (August 12, 1902 – June 15, 2000) was a Canadian farmer, professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislat ...

(1902–2000), Canadian academic, politician, and author *

Frank McEwen Francis Jack McEwen, OBE (19 April 1907 – 15 January 1994) was an English artist, teacher, and museum administrator. He is best remembered today for his efforts to bring attention to the work of Shona artists in Rhodesia, and for helpin ...

(1907–1994), English artist, teacher, and museum administrator *

Sydney MacEwan Canon Sydney Alfred MacEwan (19 October 190825 September 1991) was a Scottish tenor, who sang traditional Scottish and Irish songs. His name has also been recorded as Alfred Sydney Marley MacEwan. __TOC__ Early life Father Sydney MacEwan was bo ...

(1908–1991), Scottish tenor * Billy McEwan (1914–1991), Scottish footballer *

Robert C. McEwen Robert Cameron McEwen (January 5, 1920 – June 15, 1997) was a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state), New York. Biography McEwen was born on January 5, 1920, in ...

(1920–1997), U.S. Representative from New York (1965–1981) *

Robert MacEwen Robert MacEwen (25 February 1928 – 28 August 2013) was a rugby union international who represented Scotland from 1954 to 1958. Early life Robert MacEwen was born in Oxford. Rugby union career MacEwen made his international debut on 9 Januar ...

(1928–2013), Rugby Union international who represented Scotland from 1954 to 1958 *

Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with a ...

(1932–2015), British actress *

Bruce McEwen Bruce Sherman McEwen (January 17, 1938 – January 2, 2020) was an American neuroendocrinologist and head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at Rockefeller University. He was known for his work on the eff ...

(1938–2020), American neuroendocrinologist *

Gwendolyn MacEwen Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen (1 September 1941 – 29 November 1987) was a Canadian poet and novelist.Gwendoly ...

(1941–1987), Canadian poet and novelist * Paul MacEwan (1943–2017), politician and MLA in Nova Scotia, Canada *

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...

(born 1948), English novelist * Frank McEwan, Scottish footballer ;born after 1950 *

Alfred McEwen Alfred McEwen is a professor of planetary geology at the University of Arizona. McEwen is a member of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory where he directs the director of the Planetary Image Research Laboratory. He is a member of the imaging scie ...

, professor of planetary geology *

Anne McEwen (politician) Anne McEwen (born 3 August 1954) is a former Australian politician who served as a Labor member of the Australian Senate for South Australia from 2005 to 2016. Early life McEwen was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and attended St Joseph's P ...

(born 1954), Australian Labor Party politician * Ann McEwen, West Indian cricketer * Bob McEwen or Robert D. "Bob" McEwen (born 1950), U.S. Representative from Ohio (1981–1993) *

Rob McEwen Rob McEwen, CM (born April 15, 1950) is a Canadian businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of McEwen Mining and was the founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of Goldcorp. In January 2019, Goldcorp merged w ...

(born 1950), businessman * Billy McEwan (born 1951), Scottish footballer and manager *

Jamie McEwan James Patrick McEwan (September 24, 1952 – June 14, 2014) was an American slalom canoeist who competed in the 1970s and then again in the 1980s and early 1990s. He teamed up with his son Devin to compete in the 2000s. Competing in two Su ...

(1952–2014), American slalom canoeist and writer *

Kirsteen McEwan Kirsteen Fiona McEwan-Miller (born 20 November 1975) is a retired Scottish badminton player. She reached a career high as world number 8 and has a number of titles to her name. McEwan competed at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games, and won a ...

(born 1975), Scottish badminton player *

Mark McEwen Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fin ...

(born 1954), American media personality *

Mark McEwan Mark McEwan is an American-born Canadian celebrity chef based in Toronto, Ontario. He was head judge on Food Network Canada's ''Top Chef Canada''. McEwan had his own television show on Food Network Canada entitled ''The Heat'', which followed h ...

(born 1957), Canadian celebrity chef * Nicola McEwen,

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

professor of territorial

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, Centre on Constitutional Change * Stan McEwan (born 1957), Scottish footballer *

David McEwan (producer) David McEwan (born 1972) is an Australian record producer, engineer, composer, and a member of the band The Safires. He is the co-owner of The Sanctuary Recording Studio in London and is best known for his work on the award-winning Plan B (British ...

(born 1972), Australian/British music producer and musician *

Joe McEwing Joseph Earl McEwing (born October 19, 1972) is an American former professional baseball player who spent most of his career with the New York Mets, where he played from through . Nicknamed "Super Joe", he was the prototypical utility player who ...

(born 1972), American baseball player *

Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen (born 24 June 1972) is an Australian former professional road cyclist. McEwen is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest sprinter. He la ...

(born 1972), Australian-Belgian cyclist *

Sparky McEwen Charles "Sparky" McEwen (born April 28, 1968) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Davenport University. McEwen played professionally as a quarterback for one season with the Grand Rapids Rampage of ...

(born 1968), American football player *

Andrea McEwan Andrea McEwan (born 9 October 1978) is an Australian actress, singer, musician and songwriter. Career After attending MacRobertson Girls' High School in Melbourne, McEwan started acting, appearing in several television series including ''Ocean G ...

(born 1978), Australian singer *

David McEwan (footballer) David McEwan (born 26 December 1981 in Lanark) is a Scottish former footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. In his career he has played for Livingston, Clyde (on loan), Hamilton Academical (on loan and then permanently), Alloa Athletic, Dumbarto ...

(born 1982), Scottish footballer *

Danielle McEwan Danielle McEwan (born September 1, 1991) is an American professional ten-pin bowler from Stony Point, New York. She currently competes on the PWBA Tour and in some events on the PBA Tour. She has been a member of Junior Team USA, and is current ...

(born 1991), American ten-pin bowler

Places

* Castle MacEwen, Argyll, Scotland *

MacEwan, Edmonton MacEwan is a residential neighbourhood in south Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Approximately half of the residences (52%) are single-family dwellings according to the 2005 municipal census. Another three in ten (29%) are rented apartments and apar ...

, a neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada *

MacEwan Glen MacEwan Glen (commonly known as MacEwan) is a neighbourhood in northwest Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The primarily low-density residential community is the only community that is directly attached to Nose Hill Park and is bounded by Country Hills ...

, a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada * McEwen, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the United States *

McEwen, Tennessee McEwen is a city in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,750 at the 2010 census. Geography McEwen is located in eastern Humphreys County at (36.108810, -87.634974). U.S. Route 70 passes through the center of the city ...

, a city in the United States *

Division of McEwen The Division of McEwen is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. Classed as a rural seat, the electorate is located in the centre of the state, north of its capital city Melbourne. It includes the outer northern suburbs of ...

, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Victoria

Other

MacEwan University , mottoeng = , type = Public University , established = , closed = , founder = , parent = , academic_affiliations = AUCC, ACCC, AACTI ...

, a university in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada **

MacEwan station MacEwan station is an Edmonton Light Rail Transit station on the Metro Line in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is located across from MacEwan University on 105 Avenue between 103 and 104 Street. The station opened on September 6, 2015. History Con ...

, a light rail station serving the university * McEwan Pratt a British locomotive manufacturer from 1905 to 1914 * McEwan Pratt Petrol Railcar, type of railcar in New Zealand *

Macewen's operation Macewen's operation is an operation for the cure of inguinal hernia, developed by Scottish surgeon Sir William Macewen Sir William Macewen, (; 22 June 1848 – 22 March 1924) was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surger ...

, operation for the cure of inguinal hernia, developed by Scottish surgeon

Sir William Macewen Sir William Macewen, (; 22 June 1848 – 22 March 1924) was a Scottish surgeon. He was a pioneer in modern brain surgery, considered the ''father of neurosurgery'' and contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, the surgical trea ...

(1864–1924) *

Macewen's sign Macewen's sign or Macewen sign () is a sign used to help to diagnose hydrocephalus (accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid) and brain abscesses. Tapping (percussion, medical, percussion) the skull near the junction of the frontal bone, frontal, ...

, sign used to help to diagnose hydrocephalus (accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid) and brain abscesses * McEwans, a beer produced by the Caledonian brewery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacEwen Anglicised Scottish Gaelic-language surnames Patronymic surnames Surnames from given names

Notable people

Places

Other

See also

References