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

Cos, 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 Cos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cos in America

Cos is the 48060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cos surname appeared 440 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cos 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 Cos

The surname Cos originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "coss," which means "cheerful" or "pleasant." The name likely emerged as a nickname for someone with a particularly joyful or agreeable disposition.

The earliest known record of the Cos surname dates back to the 14th century in the county of Yorkshire. In 1379, a William Cos was mentioned in the Wakefield Court Rolls. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled as "Cosse" or "Coss."

In the 15th century, the Cos surname appeared in several historical documents, including the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondences from a prominent Norfolk family. A John Cos was mentioned in a letter dated 1472, indicating the name's presence in East Anglia.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings conducted in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Cos surname. However, it does record several place names that may have contributed to the development of the name, such as Cosby in Leicestershire and Coston in Norfolk.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Cos surname was Richard Cos (c. 1495-1560), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Muscovy Company, which monopolized trade between England and Russia.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Cos (1586-1644), a English politician and landowner from Essex. He served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies and was knighted by King James I in 1616.

In the 17th century, the Cos surname gained some literary prominence with the works of Benjamin Cos (1612-1673), an English poet and playwright. His most notable work was the tragedy "Narsinga, or The Protestant Queen."

During the English Civil War, Colonel Thomas Cos (1620-1675) rose to prominence as a Parliamentarian officer. He fought in several major battles and was later appointed as the Governor of Yarmouth in Norfolk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cos surname in North America dates back to 1635, when William Cos arrived in Virginia. He later became a prominent landowner and established the Cos family in the American colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cos

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

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 Cos 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 Cos 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 Cos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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