Find out how popular the last name Cogswell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cogswell.

Cogswell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cogswell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cogswell in America

Cogswell is the 9603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cogswell surname appeared 3,384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cogswell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cogswell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cogswell

The surname Cogswell originated in England during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cog" meaning a small boat and "well" referring to a spring or water source. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a well or spring where small boats docked.

Early recordings of the surname include Roger de Cogeswell in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166 and Thomas de Coggeshale in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285. The name also appeared as Coggeshal, Cogshall, and Coxwell in various medieval records.

There are several places in England called Coggeshall, most notably the market town in Essex, which may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time. The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions a manor called "Coghessalt" in this area.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ralph de Coggeshall, an English chronicler and monk who lived from around 1150 to 1228. His major work, the "Chronicon Anglicanum", is an important historical source for the period of 1066 to 1200.

Another notable individual was William Cogswell, born in 1592 in Westbury Leigh, Wiltshire, England. He was one of the earliest settlers in Massachusetts Bay Colony, arriving in 1635 and founding the town of Ipswich.

John Cogswell (1768-1830) was a successful merchant and shipowner in New York City. He amassed a considerable fortune trading with the West Indies and China.

Sir William Cogswell (1857-1951) was a British civil servant and administrator who served as the Governor of Tasmania from 1913 to 1918.

Evangeline Cogswell (1922-2016) was an American author known for her historical fiction novels set in New England, including "The Penobscot Expedition" and "The Inn at Bath".

The Cogswell surname continues to be found throughout the English-speaking world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, reflecting the migration patterns of its bearers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cogswell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cogswell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cogswell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cogswell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cogswell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cogswell, please contact us.

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