NameCensus.

UK surname

Cosway

In the 1881 census there were 205 people recorded with the Cosway surname, ranking it #12,643 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 201, ranked #19,525, down from #12,643 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Topsham, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Exeter St David (including Castle Yard). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, North Somerset and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cosway is 241 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.0%.

1881 census count

205

Ranked #12,643

Modern count

201

2016, ranked #19,525

Peak year

1911

241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cosway had 205 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,643 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 201 in 2016, ranked #19,525.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 241 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Cosway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cosway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cosway 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 190 #10,852
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 205 #12,643
1891 historical 221 #13,897
1901 historical 225 #14,047
1911 historical 241 #13,229
1997 modern 199 #17,668
1998 modern 214 #17,366
1999 modern 212 #17,611
2000 modern 201 #18,152
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 193 #18,713
2003 modern 186 #18,928
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 181 #19,334
2006 modern 185 #19,204
2007 modern 183 #19,553
2008 modern 182 #19,800
2009 modern 186 #19,946
2010 modern 194 #19,819
2011 modern 202 #19,154
2012 modern 199 #19,280
2013 modern 203 #19,327
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 200 #19,567
2016 modern 201 #19,525

Geography

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Where Cosways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Topsham, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, North Somerset, Rhondda Cynon Taf, East Riding of Yorkshire and Swindon. 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 Topsham Devon
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 059 Bradford
2 North Somerset 004 North Somerset
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 008 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 022 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Swindon 009 Swindon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cosway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cosway

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Cosway 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.

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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

Cosway is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cosway falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cosway 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 Cosway, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Cosway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cosway 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. Devon leads with 111 Cosways recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.67x.

County Total Index
Devon 111 26.67x
Yorkshire 19 0.96x
Middlesex 13 0.65x
Somerset 12 3.73x
Nottinghamshire 9 3.34x
Lancashire 8 0.34x
Glamorgan 7 2.01x
Gloucestershire 7 1.78x
Kent 7 1.03x
Berkshire 5 3.33x
Surrey 4 0.41x
Hampshire 3 0.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tiverton in Devon leads with 47 Cosways recorded in 1881 and an index of 655.51x.

Place Total Index
Tiverton 47 655.51x
Exeter St Sidwell 11 115.43x
Topsham 10 510.20x
Nottingham St Mary 9 12.91x
Thornhill 9 155.71x
Thorverton 9 1428.57x
Roath 7 44.28x
Taunton St Mary 7 118.44x
Tonbridge 7 28.44x
Ardwick 6 28.04x
Bampton 6 472.44x
Bristol St James In 6 103.99x
Cadbury 6 3333.33x
Willesden 6 31.83x
Wortley In Bramley 6 38.24x
Broadhembury 4 869.57x
Burnham 4 163.27x
Petersham 4 1025.64x
St Pancras London 4 2.49x
Northwood 3 51.37x
Reading St Mary 3 24.96x
Dewsbury 2 9.84x
Exeter St Mary Major 2 79.68x
Highweek 2 135.14x
Leeds 2 1.79x
Shobrooke 2 454.55x
Silverton 2 229.89x
Thelbridge 2 1333.33x
Upottery 2 400.00x
Bovey Tracey 1 68.49x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 7.65x
Burghfield 1 112.36x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.12x
Crompton 1 14.79x
Cullompton 1 54.95x
Exeter St Leonard 1 87.72x
Exeter St Paul 1 121.95x
Holy Trinity 1 114.94x
Islington London 1 0.52x
Kensington London 1 0.90x
Nether Exe 1 2000.00x
Thornton In Fylde 1 19.27x
Wellington 1 22.94x
Wokingham 1 29.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 21
John 14
George 7
James 6
Frederick 5
Henry 4
Thomas 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Harry 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Eustace 1
Fred 1
Giles 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Herman 1
Jessie 1
Leonard 1
Lionel 1
Louis 1
Mark 1
Montague 1
Owen 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Richd.P. 1
Roland 1
Samuel 1
Wm.E. 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Cosway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cosway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 205 people were recorded with the Cosway surname. That placed it at #12,643 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cosway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 201 in 2016. That gives Cosway a modern rank of #19,525.

What does the Cosway map show?

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