2000
#11,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Cobian
A Spanish surname derived from the word "cobo," meaning a person who herded cattle or worked with livestock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,972 Americans carry the last name Cobian. That puts it at #9,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cobian surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 86,293
Census rank
#9,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,464 bearers of the surname Cobian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cobian
The surname Cobian is believed to have originated in Spain, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "cobia," which refers to a type of fish found in the coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cobian name can be found in the baptismal records of the Church of Santa Maria la Blanca in Seville, Spain, where a Rodrigo Cobian was baptized in 1587. This suggests that the name may have its roots in the southern region of Andalusia.
During the 17th century, the Cobian name appears to have spread to other parts of Spain, with mentions of individuals bearing this surname in various historical documents and records. In 1629, a Juan Cobian was listed as a landowner in the town of Villanueva de la Serena, situated in the province of Badajoz.
The Cobian surname is also linked to the coastal town of Cobian, located in the municipality of Sanxenxo, in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia. It is possible that the name originated from this place name, which itself may have been derived from the word "cobia," referring to the fish.
One notable individual with the Cobian surname was Manuel Cobian y Roffignac (1768-1836), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1823 to 1824. Another historical figure was Pedro Cobian de Carranza (1550-1620), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines.
In the 19th century, the Cobian name can be found in various parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Latin American countries. For instance, José María Cobian (1804-1891) was a Mexican politician and jurist who served as the Governor of the state of Jalisco from 1855 to 1856.
Juan Esteban Cobian (1875-1942) was a prominent Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction during the presidency of Hipólito Yrigoyen. Additionally, Julio Cesar Cobian (1896-1966) was a notable Peruvian poet and writer, known for his contributions to the avant-garde literary movement in his country.
While the Cobian surname may have evolved and spread across different regions over time, its origins can be traced back to Spain, with a strong connection to the coastal areas and the meaning associated with the word "cobia," a type of fish found in those waters.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cobian
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cobian bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cobian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.8% · 3,181
- White6.9% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- Two or more races0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cobian
Cobian appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,548
+932 bearers (+35.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 1,934 places
2020
#9,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,464
-84 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,126 | 2,616 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,192 | 3,548 | 1.20 | +932 bearers (+35.6%) | Up 1,934 places |
| 2020 | #9,056 | 3,464 | 1.16 | -84 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 136 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cobian surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,192 | #9,056 | 1.5% |
| Count | 3,548 | 3,464 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.16 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cobian bearers went from 3,548 to 3,464 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,192 to #9,056.
FAQ
Cobian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cobian?
Name Census estimates that about 3,972 living Americans carry the surname Cobian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,293 residents.
How common is Cobian?
Cobian ranks #9,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,464 people with the surname Cobian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,972), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cobian.
Has Cobian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cobian went from 3,548 recorded bearers to 3,464. That is a decrease of 84 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,192 to #9,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Cobian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cobian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,181 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cobian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.8%), White (6.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cobian (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cobian mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "cobo," meaning a person who herded cattle or worked with livestock. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cobian (1.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cobian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.