2000
#7,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Cosme
A surname derived from the Greek name Cosmas, meaning "order, decency, or beauty."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,368 Americans carry the last name Cosme. That puts it at #5,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,824 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cosme 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
6.4K
1 in 53,824
Census rank
#5,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,553 bearers of the surname Cosme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosme, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cosme
The surname Cosme is of Spanish origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the masculine given name Cosme, which in turn comes from the Greek name Kosmas, meaning "order" or "decency." The name was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era and was later adopted as a Christian name.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in regions such as Castile and Aragon. It is believed that the name was initially used as a descriptive term, possibly referring to individuals who exhibited orderly or decent behavior.
One notable historical reference to the name Cosme can be found in the Historia de la conquista de México, a 16th-century chronicle written by Francisco López de Gómara. The book mentions a Spanish conquistador named Juan Cosme, who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the 1520s.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Cosme was Diego Cosme Delgado (c. 1590-1667), a Spanish painter and engraver from Seville. His works, which included religious paintings and engravings, were highly regarded during the Golden Age of Spanish art.
Another notable individual was José Cosme Jiménez (1798-1865), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the 18th president of Mexico from 1858 to 1859. He played a significant role in the Reform War and is remembered for his efforts to modernize the country's legal system.
In the field of literature, one can mention Juan Cosme Bautista (1875-1936), a Cuban poet and journalist who was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as the "Poesía Negra" (Black Poetry). His works explored themes of African heritage and identity in Cuba.
The surname Cosme has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as Cosme de Matalascañas, a municipality in the province of Huelva, and Cosme de Torremilano, a village in the province of Segovia. These place names may have influenced the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
It is worth noting that while the surname Cosme has its roots in Spain, it has since been adopted and carried by individuals of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds, particularly in Latin American countries with strong Spanish colonial influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cosme
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosme, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cosme 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 Cosme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.3% · 4,738
- White8.3% · 460
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 185
- Black or African American2.3% · 127
- Two or more races0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cosme
Cosme 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
#6,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,405
+1,265 bearers (+30.6%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 1,107 places
2020
#5,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,553
+148 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Up 341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,420 | 4,140 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,313 | 5,405 | 1.83 | +1,265 bearers (+30.6%) | Up 1,107 places |
| 2020 | #5,972 | 5,553 | 1.86 | +148 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 341 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 Cosme 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 | #6,313 | #5,972 | 5.4% |
| Count | 5,405 | 5,553 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.86 | 1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cosme bearers went from 5,405 to 5,553 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 341 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,313 to #5,972.
FAQ
Cosme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cosme?
Name Census estimates that about 6,368 living Americans carry the surname Cosme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,824 residents.
How common is Cosme?
Cosme ranks #5,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,553 people with the surname Cosme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cosme.
Has Cosme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cosme went from 5,405 recorded bearers to 5,553. That is an increase of 148 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,313 to #5,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Cosme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cosme, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.3%. The next largest groups are White (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cosme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (4,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cosme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.3%), White (8.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Cosme (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 Cosme mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name Cosmas, meaning "order, decency, or beauty." 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 Cosme (1.86 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 common is the surname Cosme?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Cosme? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.