NameCensus.

UK surname

Cosby

Derived from a place name meaning "Copp's farm" or "Cobb's farm" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 271 people recorded with the Cosby surname, ranking it #10,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 413, ranked #11,609, down from #10,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rugby, London parishes and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cosby is 436 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.4%.

1881 census count

271

Ranked #10,449

Modern count

413

2016, ranked #11,609

Peak year

1999

436 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cosby had 271 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016, ranked #11,609.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 342 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cosby surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cosby surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cosby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cosby over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 151 #12,840
1861 historical 127 #17,469
1881 historical 271 #10,449
1891 historical 265 #12,208
1901 historical 322 #11,090
1911 historical 342 #10,445
1997 modern 380 #11,418
1998 modern 422 #10,928
1999 modern 436 #10,738
2000 modern 430 #10,804
2001 modern 419 #10,835
2002 modern 429 #10,858
2003 modern 425 #10,765
2004 modern 425 #10,779
2005 modern 402 #11,137
2006 modern 401 #11,237
2007 modern 396 #11,459
2008 modern 405 #11,351
2009 modern 418 #11,309
2010 modern 435 #11,208
2011 modern 425 #11,285
2012 modern 416 #11,372
2013 modern 421 #11,462
2014 modern 424 #11,463
2015 modern 422 #11,409
2016 modern 413 #11,609

Geography

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Where Cosbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rugby, London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Luton and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Cheshire West and Chester and Blaby. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rugby Warwickshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Luton Bedfordshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 021 Central Bedfordshire
2 Luton 020 Luton
3 Central Bedfordshire 022 Central Bedfordshire
4 Cheshire West and Chester 046 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Blaby 011 Blaby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cosby

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cosby surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cosby

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cosby, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cosby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cosby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cosby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cosby is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cosby falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cosby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cosby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cosby

The surname Cosby is believed to have originated in England, potentially derived from a place name or a descriptive term. One theory suggests that it may be rooted in the Old English words "cocc," meaning a worker or servant, and "by," meaning a town or village, indicating a possible connection to a settlement where servants or workers resided.

Another hypothesis links the name to the Old Norse word "kos," meaning a small hut or cottage, combined with the Old English "by," suggesting it could refer to a person who lived in a small dwelling or hamlet. However, the exact origins remain uncertain, as surnames often evolved and transformed over time.

In terms of historical references, the Cosby surname appears in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from the 13th century, which mentions a William Cosebi. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also list a John Coseby, indicating the name's presence in different regions of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documents a landowner named Robertus de Cozebi in Leicestershire. This entry suggests that the name may have been associated with a place called Cosby or a similar-sounding location.

Over the centuries, the surname has been spelled in various ways, including Coseby, Cozeby, Cosseby, and Cosbie, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in earlier times. Some notable individuals bearing the Cosby surname include:

1. Sir Thomas Cosby (c. 1500-1572), an English soldier and landowner who served as Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire. 2. Philips Cosby (c. 1580-1625), an English colonist and landowner in Virginia, regarded as one of the earliest settlers in the Jamestown colony. 3. William Cosby (1690-1737), an English military officer and colonial governor of New York and New Jersey. 4. Grace Cosby (1892-1976), an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her roles in silent films. 5. William Henry Cosby Jr. (1937-present), an American stand-up comedian, actor, and author, widely known for his influential career in entertainment.

It is important to note that while the surname Cosby has been associated with various historical figures and locations, its precise origins remain subject to scholarly debate and ongoing research.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cosby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cosby surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Northamptonshire leads with 39 Cosbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.51x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 39 15.51x
Bedfordshire 34 24.57x
Middlesex 26 0.97x
Essex 24 4.55x
Warwickshire 19 2.82x
Staffordshire 15 1.66x
Kent 14 1.54x
Leicestershire 13 4.39x
Somerset 13 3.02x
Lancashire 11 0.35x
Buckinghamshire 8 4.95x
Lanarkshire 8 0.93x
Northumberland 8 2.01x
Surrey 7 0.54x
Channel Islands 5 6.31x
Glamorgan 5 1.07x
Yorkshire 5 0.19x
Lincolnshire 4 0.94x
Hampshire 3 0.55x
Midlothian 3 0.84x
Devon 2 0.36x
Suffolk 2 0.61x
Worcestershire 2 0.57x
Cumberland 1 0.43x
Derbyshire 1 0.24x
Oxfordshire 1 0.61x
Sussex 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire leads with 24 Cosbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 403.36x.

Place Total Index
Leighton Buzzard 24 403.36x
Wellington 13 222.98x
Sevenoaks 11 148.85x
Stoke Upon Trent 11 11.50x
Maidwell 10 3703.70x
Salford 10 10.72x
Hardingstone 9 375.00x
Kingsthorpe 9 322.58x
Luton 9 37.56x
Longbenton 8 47.51x
Rugby 8 87.72x
Wellingborough 8 63.29x
West Thurrock 8 457.14x
Westminster St John 7 21.51x
Aston 6 3.23x
Glasgow 6 3.91x
Barking 5 32.38x
Birmingham 5 2.23x
Cranham 5 1315.79x
Leeds 5 3.34x
Leicester St Mary 5 20.89x
Merthyr Mawr 5 5555.56x
Mile End Old Town London 5 8.79x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 9.30x
St Peter Port 5 34.13x
Fulham London 4 10.32x
Ivinghoe 4 317.46x
Duddingston 3 41.72x
Wispington 3 3000.00x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.72x
Blaby 2 168.07x
Childerditch 2 1000.00x
Fornham St Martin 2 714.29x
Glen Parva 2 285.71x
Govan 2 0.94x
Gravesend 2 25.91x
Haddenham 2 150.38x
Harborne 2 6.92x
Hornchurch 2 77.22x
Huncote 2 476.19x
Northampton All Sts 2 23.45x
Portsea 2 1.86x
St George Hanover Square 2 4.25x
St Marylebone London 2 1.40x
Tormoham 2 8.50x
West Horndon 2 2857.14x
Wigston Magna 2 50.89x
Aylesbury 1 13.97x
Bermondsey 1 1.26x
Bicester Market End 1 33.00x
Burslem 1 3.87x
Camberwell 1 0.59x
Eaglesfield Abbey 1 1666.67x
Edlesborough 1 68.03x
Hayes 1 36.63x
Ilkeston 1 8.53x
Islington London 1 0.39x
Kempston 1 31.85x
Leckford 1 384.62x
New Sleaford 1 36.50x
Singleton 1 196.08x
St George Martyr London 1 18.48x
Stowe Nine Churches 1 416.67x
Westminster St James 1 3.64x
Whittington 1 54.05x
Widnes 1 4.37x
Willesborough 1 40.82x
Wollaston 1 45.25x
Yardley 1 11.20x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cosby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 12
Sarah 11
Annie 9
Eliza 9
Alice 6
Ann 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Jane 4
Louisa 3
Martha 3
Anne 2
Catherine 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Julia 2
Lucy 2
Maud 2
Ada 1
Agness 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Caroline 1
Celia 1
Charlotte 1
Constance 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Ester 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Lilla 1
Lillian 1
Maryann 1
Matilda 1
Melicent 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Silina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cosby surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 20
William 20
Charles 12
George 11
Henry 11
Thomas 11
James 8
Alfred 4
Edward 4
Joseph 4
Wm. 4
Albert 3
Ernest 3
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Walter 2
Willm. 2
Amos 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Caled 1
Chas. 1
Clarence 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Sidney 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Victor 1

FAQ

Cosby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cosby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 271 people were recorded with the Cosby surname. That placed it at #10,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cosby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 413 in 2016. That gives Cosby a modern rank of #11,609.

What does the Cosby surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Copp's farm" or "Cobb's farm" in Old English.

What does the Cosby map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cosby bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.