2000
#8,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Cogan
A surname of Welsh origin meaning "bowman" or "archer," derived from the Welsh word "coch," meaning "red."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,911 Americans carry the last name Cogan. That puts it at #9,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cogan 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cogan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 87,639
Census rank
#9,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,411 bearers of the surname Cogan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cogan
The surname COGAN is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cógáin" meaning "descendant of Cógán." The name Cógán is believed to have originated from the Old Irish word "cóc," meaning "cook" or "victor." The surname is thought to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century in County Cork, Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Cógán, son of Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, who was killed in 1181. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the COGAN surname appeared in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of County Cork from 1307, where a Patrick COGAN is mentioned. The name is also found in the Fiants of Henry VIII, a collection of records from the reign of Henry VIII, where a John COGAN is referenced in 1536.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the COGAN family held lands in County Cork, particularly in the areas of Bandon and Mallow. Notable figures from this period include Myles COGAN (c. 1590-1640), a landowner and member of the Irish Parliament, and Richard COGAN (c. 1630-1687), a lawyer and judge.
In the 18th century, John COGAN (1711-1787) was a renowned Irish writer and philosopher, best known for his work "The Philosophical Treatise on the Passions." Another prominent individual was Thomas COGAN (1736-1818), a physician and writer who published several works on health and medicine.
Moving into the 19th century, William COGAN (1809-1892) was an Irish-born Australian politician who served as the Premier of New South Wales. In the United States, Thomas COGAN (1856-1927) was a notable labor leader and politician from Missouri.
Throughout its history, the COGAN surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Coganstown and Coganvillage in County Cork, Ireland. These place names likely originated from the COGAN family's landholdings in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cogan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cogan 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 Cogan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,091
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 127
- Two or more races3.5% · 118
- Black or African American0.9% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cogan
Cogan 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
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,631
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 635 places
2020
#9,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,411
-220 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,371 | 3,630 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,006 | 3,631 | 1.23 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 635 places |
| 2020 | #9,185 | 3,411 | 1.14 | -220 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 179 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 Cogan 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 | #9,006 | #9,185 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,631 | 3,411 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.14 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cogan bearers went from 3,631 to 3,411 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,006 to #9,185.
FAQ
Cogan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cogan?
Name Census estimates that about 3,911 living Americans carry the surname Cogan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,639 residents.
How common is Cogan?
Cogan ranks #9,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,411 people with the surname Cogan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Cogan.
Has Cogan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cogan went from 3,631 recorded bearers to 3,411. That is a decrease of 220 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,006 to #9,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Cogan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cogan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,091 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cogan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Cogan (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 Cogan mean?
A surname of Welsh origin meaning "bowman" or "archer," derived from the Welsh word "coch," meaning "red." 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 Cogan (1.14 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 have the surname Cogan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.