2000
#8,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Cogswell
A locational surname derived from a place in Essex, England, meaning "well near a hollow" or "well near a cog".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,835 Americans carry the last name Cogswell. That puts it at #9,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,375 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cogswell 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 Cogswell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,375
Census rank
#9,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,344 bearers of the surname Cogswell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cogswell
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cogswell 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 Cogswell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,980
- Two or more races3.9% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 49
- Black or African American1.3% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cogswell
Cogswell 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
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,384
-34 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 777 places
2020
#9,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,344
-40 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,826 | 3,418 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,603 | 3,384 | 1.15 | -34 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 777 places |
| 2020 | #9,339 | 3,344 | 1.12 | -40 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 264 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 Cogswell 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 | #9,603 | #9,339 | 2.7% |
| Count | 3,384 | 3,344 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.12 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cogswell bearers went from 3,384 to 3,344 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,603 to #9,339.
FAQ
Cogswell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cogswell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,835 living Americans carry the surname Cogswell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,375 residents.
How common is Cogswell?
Cogswell ranks #9,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,344 people with the surname Cogswell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Cogswell.
Has Cogswell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cogswell went from 3,384 recorded bearers to 3,344. That is a decrease of 40 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,603 to #9,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Cogswell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cogswell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cogswell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cogswell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Cogswell (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 Cogswell mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Essex, England, meaning "well near a hollow" or "well near a cog". 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 Cogswell (1.12 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 Cogswell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.