2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cogman
An English nickname surname for a cheery or lively person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Cogman. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cogman 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 Cogman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Cogman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (12.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cogman
The surname Cogman is an English occupational name derived from the Old English "cog" meaning a small boat or vessel. It likely originated among those who built, repaired, or operated small boats. The earliest records of the name can be traced back to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England during the 13th century.
One of the earliest documented references to the Cogman name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1327, where a John Cogman is listed as a taxpayer. The name is also present in various medieval records in Suffolk, including court rolls and parish registers from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Cogman surname is closely linked to the village of Cogman's Green, located near the town of Thetford in Norfolk. This place name, which dates back to at least the 16th century, is believed to have derived from the Cogman family who resided in the area.
Notable individuals with the Cogman surname include William Cogman (c. 1530-1598), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Norwich during the Elizabethan era. Another early bearer of the name was Robert Cogman (1601-1678), a Puritan minister who served as the rector of Combs, Suffolk, in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, John Cogman (1725-1795) was a successful shipbuilder and naval architect from Ipswich, Suffolk, known for designing and constructing several notable vessels for the British Navy. His son, also named John Cogman (1758-1834), followed in his footsteps and became a respected shipbuilder in his own right.
During the 19th century, the Cogman name gained recognition through the work of Thomas Cogman (1809-1887), a prolific English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Barnabas in Pimlico and the former headquarters of the London Fire Brigade.
While the Cogman surname has its roots in East Anglia, it has since spread throughout various parts of England and beyond, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cogman
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (12.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cogman 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 Cogman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.1% · 81
- White16.0% · 19
- Two or more races12.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cogman
Cogman 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Cogman 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cogman bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Cogman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cogman?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Cogman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Cogman?
Cogman ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Cogman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Cogman.
Has Cogman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cogman went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Cogman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.0%) and Two or More Races (12.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cogman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cogman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.1%), White (16.0%), Two or More Races (12.6%). 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 Cogman (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 Cogman mean?
An English nickname surname for a cheery or lively person. 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 Cogman (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 Cogman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Cogman is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.