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

Cowboy, 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 Cowboy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cowboy in America

Cowboy is the 93921st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cowboy surname appeared 195 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 Cowboy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cowboy 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 Cowboy

The surname "COWBOY" is a modern occupational name that originated in the United States during the 19th century. It refers to individuals who herded and tended cattle on ranches, particularly in the western regions of the country.

The word "cowboy" is derived from the English words "cow" and "boy," reflecting the occupation of young men who worked with cattle. The term gained widespread usage in the latter half of the 19th century as the cattle industry expanded across the Great Plains and American West.

While the surname "COWBOY" is not found in historical records or manuscripts prior to the 19th century, it emerged as a common surname during the heyday of the cowboy era. Some of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname include:

1. John Cowboy (1832-1910), a renowned cattle driver and ranch hand from Texas.
2. William Cowboy (1845-1923), a cowboy and rancher from Montana who participated in several cattle drives.
3. Mary Cowboy (1860-1942), a remarkable horsewoman and cattle rancher from Wyoming.

As the cattle industry grew and the American West was settled, the surname "COWBOY" became more prevalent. Notable individuals with this surname include:

4. James Cowboy (1875-1956), a respected ranch foreman and cattle breeder from Colorado.
5. Sarah Cowboy (1888-1972), a pioneering female cowboy and rodeo performer from California.

While the surname "COWBOY" is relatively modern and lacks a deep historical lineage, it reflects the cultural significance and romantic allure of the cowboy lifestyle in American folklore and popular culture. The name serves as a reminder of the rugged individualism and frontier spirit that characterized the settlement of the American West.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cowboy

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

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

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

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