2000
#11,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,649
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Cogburn
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a rooster-like appearance or demeanor, from Old English "cocc" and "burna."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,746 Americans carry the last name Cogburn. That puts it at #12,385 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cogburn 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
2.7K
1 in 124,819
Census rank
#12,385
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,395 bearers of the surname Cogburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12385th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cogburn
Cogburn is an English surname with origins dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cocc" meaning a hill or small elevation, and "burna" meaning a stream or brook. The name likely originated in an area where there was a small stream running down a hillside.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Cogburn surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a William Cokeburn is listed. This suggests the name was already established in the East Anglian region by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, variations such as Cokeburn, Cokbourne, and Cokburne appear in various tax rolls and legal documents across southern England. These early spellings reflect the fluid nature of surname spelling before standardization.
The Cogburn name has ties to several place names in England, such as Cockburn in Yorkshire and Cockburnspath in Berwickshire, Scotland. These locations likely took their names from similar geographical features involving hills and streams.
Notable individuals with the Cogburn surname throughout history include:
1. Sir Alexander Cockburn (1535-1594), Lord of Langton, a Scottish landowner and judge.
2. John Cockburn (1652-1729), a Scottish philosopher and theologian.
3. Sir James Cockburn (1688-1753), Lord Provost of Edinburgh and a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment.
4. Sir George Cockburn (1772-1853), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.
5. Alexander Cockburn (1941-2012), an influential American journalist and author known for his polemical writing.
While the Cogburn name has its roots in England, bearers of the surname can be found throughout the English-speaking world, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cogburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cogburn 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 Cogburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 2,007
- Two or more races6.7% · 161
- Black or African American4.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cogburn
Cogburn 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
#11,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,681
+32 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 676 places
2020
#12,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,395
-286 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 697 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,012 | 2,649 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,688 | 2,681 | 0.91 | +32 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 676 places |
| 2020 | #12,385 | 2,395 | 0.80 | -286 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 697 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 Cogburn 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 | #11,688 | #12,385 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,681 | 2,395 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.80 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cogburn bearers went from 2,681 to 2,395 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 697 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,688 to #12,385.
FAQ
Cogburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cogburn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,746 living Americans carry the surname Cogburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,819 residents.
How common is Cogburn?
Cogburn ranks #12,385 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,395 people with the surname Cogburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,746), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Cogburn.
Has Cogburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cogburn went from 2,681 recorded bearers to 2,395. That is a decrease of 286 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,688 to #12,385.
What does the Census say about the background of Cogburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Cogburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (2,007 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cogburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Two or More Races (6.7%), Black (4.0%). 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 Cogburn (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 Cogburn mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a rooster-like appearance or demeanor, from Old English "cocc" and "burna." 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 Cogburn (0.80 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 Americans have the surname Cogburn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.