NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Cosima

A feminine name derived from the Greek "kosmos" meaning order, the universe.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Cosima is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Cosima popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1491, with 21 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 24 births.

This profile covers 319 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 88% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 317 living people in the UK are called Cosima. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Cosima ranked #1491 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 21 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2022, when 24 girls were registered as Cosima.
  • About 317 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cosima as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1491

2024

Births in 2024

21

Latest year

Peak year

2022

24 births

Estimated living

317

2026

Meaning

What does Cosima mean?

The name Cosima is of Italian origin, derived from the Greek name Kosmas, which means "order" or "decency". It is a feminine form of the name Cosmo, which was a common name among early Christian saints and scholars.

The earliest recorded use of the name Cosima dates back to the 16th century, when it was popular among Italian nobility and aristocracy. One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Cosima de' Medici, born in 1519, who was a member of the powerful Medici family that ruled Florence during the Renaissance.

In the 19th century, the name gained greater prominence when the German composer Richard Wagner named his daughter Cosima. Cosima Wagner, born in 1837, was an influential figure in her own right, managing the Bayreuth Festival and promoting her father's music after his death.

Another notable Cosima was Cosima Liszt, born in 1837, who was the daughter of the celebrated Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. She was a talented pianist and composer in her own right and was also closely associated with the Wagner family.

In the world of literature, Cosima is the name of a character in the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera, published in 1984. The character, a Swiss woman, plays a significant role in the story and represents the complexities of love and relationships.

Other famous Cosimas throughout history include Cosima Coppola, born in 1971, an American filmmaker and daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, and Cosima Shiva Weiderpass, born in 1937, a Swiss-Italian artist known for her abstract paintings and sculptures.

While the name Cosima has Greek and Italian roots, it has been used across various cultures and countries, with bearers of the name found in Europe, North America, and beyond. The name's association with order, decency, and the arts has contributed to its enduring appeal and cultural significance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Cosima over time

The chart below shows babies named Cosima registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Cosima, the clearest high point is 2022. The latest England and Wales figure is 21 births in 2024, compared with 24 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Cosima
06121824199620102024

Decades

Cosima by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cosima was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #1507 102 5
2010s #2533 102 10
2000s #2413 88 10
1990s #2425 27 4

Related

Names similar to Cosima

FAQ

Cosima: questions and answers

How popular is the name Cosima in the UK right now?

In 2024, Cosima was ranked #1491 for girls in England and Wales, with 21 births registered.

When was Cosima most popular?

The peak year on record was 2022, with 24 babies registered as Cosima in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Cosima?

A feminine name derived from the Greek "kosmos" meaning order, the universe.

How many people are called Cosima in the UK?

A total of 319 babies have been registered as Cosima across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.