2000
#6,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Cowen
A Celtic surname derived from the Gaelic "MacEoghain," meaning "descendant of Eoghan" (a personal name meaning "born of the yew tree").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,196 Americans carry the last name Cowen. That puts it at #7,114 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowen 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 Cowen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,965
Census rank
#7,114
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,531 bearers of the surname Cowen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7114th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cowen
The surname Cowen has its roots in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "cu" or "cou," meaning cow, and "wen" or "winn," meaning meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who resided near or worked on a cow pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland from the year 1197, where a person named Hugh Couen is mentioned. Another early reference appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1207, which mentions a William Couen.
The Cowen surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Cowan Bridge in Lancashire and Cowden in Kent. These place names likely share a similar etymology, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its association with cattle or pastures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Cowen surname. One such person was Robert Cowen (c. 1650-1723), an English clergyman and author who wrote works on theology and philosophy. Another was James Cowen (1775-1860), a British mining engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of the safety lamp used in coal mines.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Cowen surname dates back to the 17th century. John Cowen (1611-1695) was an early settler in Virginia and a prominent Quaker preacher. Other notable American figures with the Cowen surname include Esther Cowen (1857-1964), an American artist and educator, and Zelman Cowen (1919-2011), an Australian legal scholar and academic who served as the Governor-General of Australia from 1977 to 1982.
Overall, the surname Cowen has a rich history spanning several centuries and regions, with its origins firmly rooted in the Anglo-Saxon traditions of England and its close association with cattle and pastures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowen
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowen 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 Cowen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 3,923
- Black or African American4.3% · 193
- Two or more races4.1% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowen
Cowen 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
#6,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,990
-61 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 518 places
2020
#7,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,531
-459 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,237 | 5,051 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,755 | 4,990 | 1.69 | -61 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 518 places |
| 2020 | #7,114 | 4,531 | 1.52 | -459 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 359 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 Cowen 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 | #6,755 | #7,114 | -5.3% |
| Count | 4,990 | 4,531 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.52 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowen bearers went from 4,990 to 4,531 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,755 to #7,114.
FAQ
Cowen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowen?
Name Census estimates that about 5,196 living Americans carry the surname Cowen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,965 residents.
How common is Cowen?
Cowen ranks #7,114 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 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 4,531 people with the surname Cowen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 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 Cowen.
Has Cowen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowen went from 4,990 recorded bearers to 4,531. That is a decrease of 459 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,755 to #7,114.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cowen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (3,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cowen (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 Cowen mean?
A Celtic surname derived from the Gaelic "MacEoghain," meaning "descendant of Eoghan" (a personal name meaning "born of the yew tree"). 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 Cowen (1.52 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 Cowen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.