NameCensus.

UK surname

Cosgrave

A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of the houndsman" or "hound keeper".

In the 1881 census there were 147 people recorded with the Cosgrave surname, ranking it #15,674 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 439, ranked #11,007, up from #15,674 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Denis in Walmgate, St George and Hull Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Hartlepool and Swindon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cosgrave is 501 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 198.6%.

1881 census count

147

Ranked #15,674

Modern count

439

2016, ranked #11,007

Peak year

2010

501 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cosgrave had 147 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,674 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 439 in 2016, ranked #11,007.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 164 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Cosgrave surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cosgrave surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Cosgrave 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 158 #12,461
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 147 #15,674
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 120 #20,545
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 461 #9,886
1998 modern 476 #9,974
1999 modern 472 #10,083
2000 modern 463 #10,200
2001 modern 465 #9,993
2002 modern 485 #9,846
2003 modern 476 #9,830
2004 modern 474 #9,889
2005 modern 466 #9,935
2006 modern 461 #10,054
2007 modern 464 #10,113
2008 modern 461 #10,235
2009 modern 473 #10,269
2010 modern 501 #10,047
2011 modern 483 #10,215
2012 modern 449 #10,675
2013 modern 447 #10,885
2014 modern 450 #10,902
2015 modern 443 #10,957
2016 modern 439 #11,007

Geography

Back to top

Where Cosgraves are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Denis in Walmgate, St George, Hull Holy Trinity, Manchester and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Hartlepool, Swindon, Bromley and Haringey. 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 London parishes London 1
2 St Denis in Walmgate, St George Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 019 Rochdale
2 Hartlepool 008 Hartlepool
3 Swindon 016 Swindon
4 Bromley 026 Bromley
5 Haringey 014 Haringey

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Cosgrave

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Cosgrave

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cosgrave, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Cosgrave surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Cosgrave household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cosgrave 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

Cosgrave is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cosgrave falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cosgrave is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Cosgrave

The surname Cosgrave originated in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "cos," meaning foot, and "garbh," meaning rough or rugged, possibly referring to a person who lived in a rugged or mountainous area.

Cosgrave is an anglicized version of the Irish surname "Ó Cosgráibh," which was initially found in County Kilkenny and parts of County Laois. The name appears in various forms, such as Cosgraue, Cosgreave, and Cosgrave, in early records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable historical reference to the Cosgrave name is in the "Annals of the Four Masters," a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname Cosgrave, including Donnchadh Ó Cosgráibh, who was slain in a battle in 1315.

The earliest recorded instance of the Cosgrave surname is believed to be in the "Calendar of Justiciary Rolls" from 1305, which mentions a John de Cosgrave. Another early reference is in the "Pipe Roll of Cloyne" from 1364, which lists a Thomas Cosgrave as a landowner in County Cork.

Some notable individuals with the Cosgrave surname throughout history include:

1. William Cosgrave (1880-1965), an Irish politician who served as the first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932.

2. Thomas Cosgrave (1548-1628), an Irish jurist and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1604 to 1628.

3. John Cosgrave (1807-1891), an Irish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Ireland and its ancient literature.

4. Donal Cosgrave (born 1942), an Irish politician and member of the Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) who served as Minister for the Environment from 1994 to 1997.

5. Henry Cosgrave (1792-1845), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1842 until his death.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Cosgrave families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cosgrave 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. Lancashire leads with 53 Cosgraves recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 53 3.05x
Middlesex 27 1.85x
Yorkshire 21 1.45x
Durham 9 2.07x
Kent 9 1.80x
Warwickshire 7 1.90x
Cheshire 6 1.86x
Cumberland 5 3.97x
Surrey 3 0.42x
Staffordshire 2 0.41x
Ayrshire 1 0.91x
Derbyshire 1 0.44x
Essex 1 0.35x
Northumberland 1 0.46x
Suffolk 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Droylsden in Lancashire leads with 11 Cosgraves recorded in 1881 and an index of 194.35x.

Place Total Index
Droylsden 11 194.35x
Everton 11 19.88x
Salford 11 21.54x
Stranton 8 54.61x
Folkestone 7 72.31x
St Marylebone London 6 7.68x
Stockport 6 36.10x
Cleator 5 95.42x
Kensington London 5 6.15x
St George Bloomsbury 5 59.59x
York St Denis In 5 781.25x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 13.56x
Hulme 4 11.04x
Northowram 4 39.33x
Sutton Stoneferry 4 96.39x
Westminster St James 4 26.60x
Aston 3 2.95x
Birmingham 3 2.44x
Leeds 3 3.66x
Liverpool 3 2.85x
Great Bolton 2 8.70x
Heaton Norris 2 20.24x
Oldham 2 3.57x
Ratcliffe London 2 24.75x
St Botolph Aldgate London 2 66.45x
Westminster St John 2 11.22x
Ayr 1 19.34x
Bury 1 5.04x
Cannock 1 11.60x
Caterham 1 31.75x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 3.63x
Croydon 1 2.53x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.60x
Derby St Werburgh 1 7.56x
Harwich St Nicholas 1 44.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 5.31x
Holy Trinity 1 2.87x
Ipswich St Helen 1 47.39x
Islington London 1 0.71x
Margate St John Baptist 1 10.94x
Moss Side 1 10.94x
Newington 1 1.85x
Standish With Langtree 1 46.73x
Turton 1 35.21x
Warwick St Nicholas 1 36.90x
Wigan 1 4.12x
Wolverhampton 1 2.63x
Woolsington 1 2500.00x
Worsley 1 9.35x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 11
John 8
Thomas 7
William 7
Patrick 6
Francis 3
Lawrence 3
Michael 3
Alexander 2
Charles 2
Cornelius 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Agustus 1
Cosmo 1
Daniel 1
Dominick 1
Edward 1
Henry 1
Hewey 1
Joseph 1
Laurence 1
Margaret 1
Phillip 1
Sarah 1
W. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cosgrave surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cosgrave surname in 1881?

In 1881, 147 people were recorded with the Cosgrave surname. That placed it at #15,674 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cosgrave surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 439 in 2016. That gives Cosgrave a modern rank of #11,007.

What does the Cosgrave surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin meaning "descendant of the houndsman" or "hound keeper".

What does the Cosgrave map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cosgrave 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.