• Alan Gowen (1947-1981), a fusion/progressive rock keyboardist
• Bradford Gowen (1946-), first prize in the 1978 Kennedy Center/Rockefeller Foundation International Competition for Excellence in the Performance of American Music
• Clonie Gowen (1971-), an American professional poker player
• Francis I. Gowen (1855-1927), an American industrialist
• Franklin B. Gowen (1836–1889), a president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
• Maria Gowen Brooks (1794-1845), an American poetess
• Zach Gowen (1983-), an American professional wrestler

Fictional characters :

• Major Gowen, a fictional character in the hit BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers

Places :

• Gowen, an unincorporated community in Montcalm Township, Michigan
• Gowen, a community in Latimer County, Oklahoma
• Boise Airport in Idaho, also known as Gowen Field
• Gowen County, New South Wales,

miscellaneous :

• Gowen Cypress, a tree species