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

Cousins, 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 Cousins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cousins in America

Cousins is the 3773rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cousins surname appeared 9,380 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Cousins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cousins 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 Cousins

The surname Cousins is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "cosin," meaning a blood relative or kinsman. It emerged as a descriptive surname in the Middle Ages, referring to someone who was a cousin or relative of an individual or family of higher social standing.

The earliest known record of the surname Cousins dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. During this period, the name was also found in various forms, such as Cosin, Cosyn, and Cossyn.

One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Richard Cosyn, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1259. The Feet of Fines were legal documents recording the transfer of land or property ownership.

The Cousins surname has roots in various regions across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Essex. It was particularly prevalent in the parish of Fiskerton, Lincolnshire, where the name is thought to have originated from a local family of prominence.

In the 14th century, the Cousins name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, which recorded taxpayers. This indicates that the family had established itself in the region by that time.

One notable bearer of the Cousins surname was John Cousins (c. 1430-1504), a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers in London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1486-1487.

Another historical figure was Samuel Cousins (1801-1887), a renowned English engraver and member of the Royal Academy. He was particularly celebrated for his mezzotint engravings and portraits of notable figures, including Sir Thomas Lawrence's famous portrait of Charles William Lambton.

In the 16th century, the Cousins name was also found in the parish records of Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, where the surname was sometimes spelled as "Cussens" or "Cussins."

During the English Civil War, Captain John Cousins (c. 1610-1687) was a prominent Parliamentarian soldier who fought alongside Oliver Cromwell's forces. He later became a member of the Honourable Artillery Company and served as its Lieutenant-Colonel.

Another notable figure was William Cousins (1628-1683), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Rector of Raydon in Suffolk. He authored several religious works, including "The Doctrine of Eternal Life" and "The Christian's Manual."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cousins

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

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

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

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