2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cocanower
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Cocanower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Cocanower. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cocanower 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Cocanower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cocanower, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cocanower
The surname Cocanower has its origins in the region of Hertfordshire, England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "coc" and "anwere," which together translate to "a place where cocks or chickens were kept." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked at a poultry farm or coop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, where a certain John Cocanower was listed as a local landowner in 1587. It is possible that this John Cocanower was the progenitor of the surname, with his family's association with poultry farming or a particular location leading to the adoption of the name.
In the 17th century, the Cocanower surname appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records indicating families bearing the name in counties such as Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include Thomas Cocanower (1632-1698), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the name underwent various transformations, with variations such as Cockanower, Cokenoure, and Cockenhauer appearing in historical records. One notable figure from this era was Sir William Cocanower (1751-1823), a distinguished military officer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the Cocanower name found its way across the Atlantic, with several families emigrating to the United States and Canada. Among these early settlers was James Cocanower (1812-1891), a farmer from Gloucestershire who established a homestead in Ohio in the 1840s.
Another notable individual was Elizabeth Cocanower (1867-1942), a prominent educator and women's rights advocate who played a key role in establishing one of the first public schools for girls in Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the Cocanower surname has maintained a strong association with its roots in the English countryside, with many families continuing to work in agricultural or rural pursuits over the generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cocanower
Among Census respondents with the surname Cocanower, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cocanower 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 Cocanower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cocanower
Cocanower appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 6,133 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 Cocanower 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 | #152,628 | #146,495 | 4.0% |
| Count | 107 | 114 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cocanower bearers went from 107 to 114 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 6,133 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #146,495.
FAQ
Cocanower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cocanower?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Cocanower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Cocanower?
Cocanower ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Cocanower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cocanower.
Has Cocanower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cocanower went from 107 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Cocanower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cocanower, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cocanower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cocanower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Cocanower (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 Cocanower mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Cocanower. 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 Cocanower (0.04 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 are called Cocanower?
If you just want to know how many people are called Cocanower, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.