2000
#5,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Cowley
From a place name meaning "cow pasture" in Old English, derived from the elements cu (cow) and leah (clearing).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,635 Americans carry the last name Cowley. That puts it at #5,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowley 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 Cowley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 51,659
Census rank
#5,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,786 bearers of the surname Cowley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowley
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowley 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 Cowley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 4,796
- Black or African American7.4% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 267
- Two or more races3.8% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowley
Cowley 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
#5,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,868
+249 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#5,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,786
-82 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,664 | 5,619 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,881 | 5,868 | 1.99 | +249 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #5,770 | 5,786 | 1.94 | -82 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 111 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 Cowley 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 | #5,881 | #5,770 | 1.9% |
| Count | 5,868 | 5,786 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.94 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowley bearers went from 5,868 to 5,786 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,881 to #5,770.
FAQ
Cowley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,635 living Americans carry the surname Cowley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,659 residents.
How common is Cowley?
Cowley ranks #5,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 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 5,786 people with the surname Cowley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,635), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 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 Cowley.
Has Cowley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowley went from 5,868 recorded bearers to 5,786. That is a decrease of 82 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,881 to #5,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Cowley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (4,796 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (7.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Cowley (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 Cowley mean?
From a place name meaning "cow pasture" in Old English, derived from the elements cu (cow) and leah (clearing). 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 Cowley (1.94 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 Cowley?
You can see how many people have the last name Cowley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.