2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cowham
An English locational surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "cow homestead" or "cow settlement".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Cowham. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowham 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 Cowham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Cowham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowham, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cowham
The surname Cowham originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a habitational name derived from the village of Cowham, located in the county of Kent. This place name is thought to come from the Old English words "cu" meaning cow and "ham" meaning homestead or village, thus translating to "the village where cows were kept."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cowham can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Kent, a census-like record from 1273, where a Thomas de Couham is mentioned. The name also appears in various medieval tax records and legal documents from Kent and neighbouring counties, sometimes spelled as Coueham or Cowham.
In the 16th century, the Cowham family held land and property in the parish of Lenham, Kent. William Cowham, born in 1512, was a prominent landowner and is recorded in the parish registers of Lenham. His son, John Cowham (1542-1619), was a successful merchant and served as a church warden in Lenham.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Richard Cowham (1620-1687) from Kent fought on the Parliamentarian side. He later became a justice of the peace and served as a member of the local militia.
In the 18th century, the Cowham family had established themselves in various parts of England. Notable individuals include Thomas Cowham (1728-1795), a prosperous farmer from Buckinghamshire, and Elizabeth Cowham (1756-1832), a renowned midwife who practised in London.
In the 19th century, several members of the Cowham family emigrated to other parts of the British Empire, including Canada and Australia. One such individual was George Cowham (1812-1878), who settled in Ontario, Canada, and became a respected community leader.
Other notable bearers of the Cowham surname throughout history include John Cowham (1868-1951), a British physicist and inventor, and James Cowham (1901-1976), an English cricketer who played for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
While the Cowham surname has its roots in the rural villages of Kent, it has since spread across England and beyond, with descendants contributing to various fields and professions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowham
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowham, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowham 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 Cowham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 12
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowham
Cowham 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+22 bearers (+19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 10,018 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-20 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,992 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+19.5%) | Up 10,018 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 18,992 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 Cowham 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 | #126,765 | #145,757 | -15.0% |
| Count | 135 | 115 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowham bearers went from 135 to 115 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 18,992 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #145,757.
FAQ
Cowham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowham?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Cowham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Cowham?
Cowham ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Cowham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cowham.
Has Cowham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowham went from 135 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowham, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Cowham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Hispanic (10.4%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Cowham (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 Cowham mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name, likely meaning "cow homestead" or "cow settlement". 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 Cowham (0.04 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 common is the surname Cowham?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Cowham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.