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

Cowden, 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 Cowden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cowden in America

Cowden is the 8055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cowden surname appeared 4,111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cowden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cowden 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 Cowden

The surname Cowden is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'cu' meaning cow and 'denu' meaning valley, effectively translating as 'cow valley'. The name likely originated from a place named Cowden in various parts of England, including Kent, Suffolk, and Yorkshire.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as 'Codene'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The spelling variations in early records include Cowden, Coudene, and Couden.

In the 13th century, a person by the name of John de Coudene was listed in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. This is one of the earliest recorded instances of an individual bearing the surname Cowden.

Another notable figure was Sir Ralph de Cowdene, a landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century and is mentioned in various historical documents from Kent.

During the 16th century, the surname appears in the records of the Parish of Cowden in Kent, where families with the name Cowden were listed as landowners and residents.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure was John Cowden, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Rye in Sussex from 1640 to 1644.

In the 18th century, Edward Cowden (1737-1809) was a well-known English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Deptford and wrote several theological works.

In the 19th century, Clarke Cowden Clarke (1787-1858) was a notable English writer and lecturer who published works on Shakespeare and other literary figures, while his wife, Mary Cowden Clarke (1809-1898), was a renowned author and scholar known for her works on Shakespeare and her contributions to Victorian literature.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Cowden, demonstrating its long-standing presence and significance in various parts of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cowden

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

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

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

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