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

Cove, 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 Cove surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cove in America

Cove is the 36286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cove surname appeared 617 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 Cove.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cove 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 Cove

The surname COVE is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cofe," which means a small cave, recess, or shelter. The name likely originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a cove or small bay.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname COVE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Richard de la Cove is mentioned. This suggests that the name was established in the area by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname COVE appeared in several other historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a William de la Cove. The prefix "de la" suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive term, meaning "of the cove."

The COVE surname is also associated with various place names throughout England, such as Cove Bay in Suffolk and Cove in Hampshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname COVE include John Cove (1563-1628), an English composer and organist who served in the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Another notable figure is Sir William Cove (1638-1713), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, Edward Cove (1785-1855) was a prominent English architect and surveyor responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including St. Dunstan-in-the-East and St. Michael's Church in Cornhill.

William Cove (1860-1938), an English cricketer, played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club between 1883 and 1894, scoring over 6,000 runs in his career.

Finally, Elizabeth Cove (1914-2002) was a British author and illustrator known for her children's books, including "The Little Wooden Horse" and "The Enchanted Egg."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cove

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

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

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

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