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

Covington, 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 Covington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Covington in America

Covington is the 1298th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Covington surname appeared 27,068 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Covington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Covington 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 Covington

The surname Covington is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Covington, which is found in several counties across England, including Huntingdonshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire. The name is believed to be composed of the Old English words "cofa," meaning a cave or den, and "tun," meaning a farm or village, suggesting that the name originally referred to a settlement near a cave or den.

One of the earliest records of the name Covington can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named William de Covington in Huntingdonshire. This indicates that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1166, which mention a Robert de Covington.

The surname Covington has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, including Covington, Covyngton, Covinton, and Covingtone. These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the inconsistencies in spelling during the medieval and early modern periods.

Among notable individuals with the surname Covington throughout history are:

1. Sir John Covington (c. 1380-1452), an English soldier and Member of Parliament during the Hundred Years' War.
2. Sir Thomas Covington (c. 1540-1629), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
3. Robert Covington (1735-1813), an American soldier and pioneer who fought in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Kentucky.
4. Leonard Covington (1768-1813), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and was killed in the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
5. Walter Covington (1876-1965), an American jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina from 1944 to 1953.

These examples demonstrate the wide geographic spread and historical significance of the surname Covington, which has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, politicians, landowners, and jurists, across multiple centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Covington

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

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

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

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