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

Cousar, 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 Cousar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cousar in America

Cousar is the 18486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cousar surname appeared 1,495 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 Cousar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cousar 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 Cousar

The surname Cousar originated in Scotland during the medieval era, likely derived from the Old French word "cousour," meaning a tailor or seamstress. It's believed to have been an occupational surname given to those who worked as tailors or in the clothing trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Cousour," suggesting its connection to the tailoring profession.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was concentrated in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly around the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. It's possible that the name may have originated from a place name containing the root "cous" or a similar spelling.

Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention several notable individuals bearing the Cousar surname. John Cousar (1570-1633), a Scottish merchant and landowner, was a prominent figure in the city of Glasgow during the early 17th century. Another individual, Robert Cousar (1612-1678), was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Edinburgh.

In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of William Cousar (1735-1811), a Scottish architect and civil engineer. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.

Moving into the 19th century, the Cousar surname was associated with the literary world. James Cousar (1810-1887) was a Scottish poet and writer who penned several works celebrating the beauty of his homeland. His contemporary, Elizabeth Cousar (1825-1902), was a prominent author and educator, known for her contributions to children's literature.

It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Cousor, Cousour, and Couser, were common throughout the centuries due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects. However, the Cousar spelling became more standardized in modern times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cousar

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!