2000
#3,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,691
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.22
Rare Last name
Cousins
A surname derived from the French term "cousin," indicating a relative or descendant of an uncle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,764 Americans carry the last name Cousins. That puts it at #4,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cousins 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 Cousins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,104
Census rank
#4,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,515 bearers of the surname Cousins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cousins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cousins
Among Census respondents with the surname Cousins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cousins 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 Cousins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 5,345
- Black or African American26.4% · 2,250
- Two or more races5.7% · 487
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 336
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cousins
Cousins 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
#3,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,380
+689 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#4,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,515
-865 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,748 | 8,691 | 3.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,773 | 9,380 | 3.18 | +689 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #4,050 | 8,515 | 2.85 | -865 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 277 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 Cousins 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 | #3,773 | #4,050 | -7.3% |
| Count | 9,380 | 8,515 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.18 | 2.85 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cousins bearers went from 9,380 to 8,515 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 277 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,773 to #4,050.
FAQ
Cousins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cousins?
Name Census estimates that about 9,764 living Americans carry the surname Cousins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,104 residents.
How common is Cousins?
Cousins ranks #4,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,515 people with the surname Cousins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,764), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cousins.
Has Cousins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cousins went from 9,380 recorded bearers to 8,515. That is a decrease of 865 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,773 to #4,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Cousins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cousins, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Cousins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (5,345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cousins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (26.4%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Cousins (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 Cousins mean?
A surname derived from the French term "cousin," indicating a relative or descendant of an uncle. 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 Cousins (2.85 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 people share the surname Cousins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.