2000
#12,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Cowling
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cowls or hoods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,180 Americans carry the last name Cowling. That puts it at #14,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowling 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 Cowling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,227
Census rank
#14,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,901 bearers of the surname Cowling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowling
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowling 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 Cowling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 1,579
- Black or African American8.2% · 156
- Two or more races4.2% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowling
Cowling 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
#13,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 934 places
2020
#14,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,901
-269 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,982 | 2,165 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,916 | 2,170 | 0.74 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 934 places |
| 2020 | #14,939 | 1,901 | 0.64 | -269 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 1,023 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 Cowling 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 | #13,916 | #14,939 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,170 | 1,901 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.64 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowling bearers went from 2,170 to 1,901 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 1,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,916 to #14,939.
FAQ
Cowling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowling?
Name Census estimates that about 2,180 living Americans carry the surname Cowling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,227 residents.
How common is Cowling?
Cowling ranks #14,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,901 people with the surname Cowling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,180), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cowling.
Has Cowling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowling went from 2,170 recorded bearers to 1,901. That is a decrease of 269 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,916 to #14,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Cowling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (1,579 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Cowling (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 Cowling mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cowls or hoods. 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 Cowling (0.64 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 are called Cowling?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Cowling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.