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

Cowling, 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 Cowling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cowling in America

Cowling is the 13916th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cowling surname appeared 2,170 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cowling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cowling 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 Cowling

The surname Cowling is of English origin, and it first appeared in the northern regions of England during the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cu" and "hyll," which together mean "cow hill" or "cow pasture."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cowling surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Cullinges." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records as "Culing," "Culyng," and "Culyng de Couelynge." These spellings indicate that the name was closely associated with the village of Cowling, located in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Historically, the Cowling family was prominent in Yorkshire, where they held lands and estates. One notable figure was Sir Ralph Cowling (1585-1673), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Aldborough in the 17th century.

Another significant individual bearing the Cowling surname was Richard Cowling (1734-1809), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Overstone in Northamptonshire.

In the 18th century, the Cowling name gained recognition through the work of Benjamin Cowling (1737-1808), a renowned English engraver and illustrator who produced notable works such as "Views of the Lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland."

Moving into the 19th century, George Cowling (1809-1875) was a prominent English cricket player who represented Yorkshire County Cricket Club and is remembered as one of the earliest professional cricketers.

Lastly, Sir Frederic Cowling (1863-1948) was a notable British civil engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the design and construction of dams and reservoirs.

These examples demonstrate the historical significance and widespread presence of the Cowling surname across various fields, including politics, religion, art, sports, and engineering.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cowling

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

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

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

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