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

Cowley, 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 Cowley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cowley in America

Cowley is the 5881st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cowley surname appeared 5,868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cowley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cowley 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 Cowley

The surname Cowley originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cu" meaning cow and "leah" meaning meadow or clearing, referring to a meadow where cows grazed.

The Cowley surname is thought to have first appeared in records in the county of Oxfordshire, where there are several villages and towns bearing the name Cowley. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded a landowner named William de Covele in Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the name Cowley was recorded in various forms, such as Couele, Couhele, and Cowele, reflecting the variation in spelling common during that time. One notable example is Walter de Couhele, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1219.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Cowley surname. One of the earliest was Abraham Cowley (1618-1667), an English poet and essayist who is considered one of the leading figures of the 17th century literary movement known as the Metaphysical Poets.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Hannah Cowley (1743-1809), an English dramatist and poet who wrote numerous plays, including The Belle's Stratagem and A Bold Stroke for a Husband.

In the 19th century, Earl Cowley (1779-1847), whose full name was Henry Richard Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, was a British diplomat and politician who served as the Ambassador to France and Spain.

The Cowley surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Cowley in Oxfordshire, Cowley Manor in Gloucestershire, and Cowley Bridge in Derbyshire.

Throughout history, other notable individuals with the Cowley surname include Henry Wellesley Cowley (1804-1884), an English diplomat and writer; Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989), an American novelist, poet, and literary critic; and Richard Cowley (1687-1770), an English mathematician and theologian.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cowley

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

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

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

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