2000
#7,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,960
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Cowden
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely meaning "coal valley" or "coal hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,276 Americans carry the last name Cowden. That puts it at #8,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowden 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 Cowden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,158
Census rank
#8,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,729 bearers of the surname Cowden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowden
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowden 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 Cowden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,389
- Two or more races3.2% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 106
- Black or African American1.9% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowden
Cowden 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
#8,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,111
+151 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 319 places
2020
#8,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
-382 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,736 | 3,960 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,055 | 4,111 | 1.39 | +151 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 319 places |
| 2020 | #8,491 | 3,729 | 1.25 | -382 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 436 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 Cowden 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 | #8,055 | #8,491 | -5.4% |
| Count | 4,111 | 3,729 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.25 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowden bearers went from 4,111 to 3,729 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,055 to #8,491.
FAQ
Cowden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowden?
Name Census estimates that about 4,276 living Americans carry the surname Cowden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,158 residents.
How common is Cowden?
Cowden ranks #8,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,729 people with the surname Cowden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cowden.
Has Cowden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowden went from 4,111 recorded bearers to 3,729. That is a decrease of 382 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,055 to #8,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowden, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Cowden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Cowden (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 Cowden mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Scotland, likely meaning "coal valley" or "coal hill." 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 Cowden (1.25 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 share the surname Cowden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.