2000
#5,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Coward
An occupational surname for a cowherd, or one who tended cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,101 Americans carry the last name Coward. That puts it at #6,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coward 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 Coward with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,180
Census rank
#6,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,320 bearers of the surname Coward in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coward, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coward
The surname Coward has its origins in England and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "coart," which means "coward" or "lacking courage." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone perceived as timid or faint-hearted.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Coward, Cowarde, and Couharde in various records and manuscripts across England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1208, where a person named William Coward was mentioned.
The Coward surname was found in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Oxfordshire, among others. Some early examples include John Coward, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1327, and Robert Coward, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Coward surname gained prominence in England, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Sir John Coward (1550-1632), a prominent merchant and alderman of London who served as the Sheriff of London in 1600 and the Lord Mayor of London in 1628.
Another notable figure was William Coward (1657-1725), an English physician and philosopher who wrote several treatises on philosophy, medicine, and theology. He is regarded as one of the earliest proponents of the theory of materialism in England.
In the 18th century, the Coward surname was associated with several places in England, such as Coward's Green in Cheshire and Coward's Wood in Hertfordshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Coward surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the Coward surname throughout history include Thomas Coward (1805-1865), an English painter and engraver known for his landscapes and book illustrations, and Sir Noël Coward (1899-1973), the renowned English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer who achieved international fame for his witty and sophisticated plays and musicals.
While the Coward surname may have had an unflattering origin as a descriptive nickname, it has become a respected and widely-distributed surname over the centuries, with many notable individuals bearing the name and contributing to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coward
Among Census respondents with the surname Coward, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Coward 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 Coward surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 2,943
- Black or African American35.5% · 1,888
- Two or more races4.3% · 229
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 212
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coward
Coward 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
#6,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,720
-160 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 569 places
2020
#6,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,320
-400 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,443 | 5,880 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,012 | 5,720 | 1.94 | -160 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 569 places |
| 2020 | #6,172 | 5,320 | 1.78 | -400 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 160 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 Coward 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 | #6,012 | #6,172 | -2.7% |
| Count | 5,720 | 5,320 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.78 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coward bearers went from 5,720 to 5,320 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,012 to #6,172.
FAQ
Coward surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coward?
Name Census estimates that about 6,101 living Americans carry the surname Coward. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,180 residents.
How common is Coward?
Coward ranks #6,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,320 people with the surname Coward. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Coward.
Has Coward become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coward went from 5,720 recorded bearers to 5,320. That is a decrease of 400 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,012 to #6,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Coward?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coward, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Coward in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (2,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coward appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Black (35.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Coward (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 Coward mean?
An occupational surname for a cowherd, or one who tended cattle. 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 Coward (1.78 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 have the surname Coward?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.