NameCensus.

UK surname

Cowdry

In the 1881 census there were 293 people recorded with the Cowdry surname, ranking it #9,884 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 259, ranked #16,393, down from #9,884 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Basingstoke, Basing, Eastrop, Newnham, Nately Scures, Up Nately, Andwell and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merton and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cowdry is 306 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.6%.

1881 census count

293

Ranked #9,884

Modern count

259

2016, ranked #16,393

Peak year

1901

306 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cowdry had 293 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,884 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016, ranked #16,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 306 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Cowdry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cowdry surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Cowdry 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 157 #12,504
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 293 #9,884
1891 historical 283 #11,573
1901 historical 306 #11,494
1911 historical 271 #12,237
1997 modern 273 #14,417
1998 modern 283 #14,442
1999 modern 293 #14,175
2000 modern 276 #14,724
2001 modern 258 #15,194
2002 modern 270 #15,010
2003 modern 276 #14,604
2004 modern 256 #15,453
2005 modern 253 #15,514
2006 modern 238 #16,288
2007 modern 236 #16,617
2008 modern 232 #16,931
2009 modern 248 #16,509
2010 modern 271 #15,856
2011 modern 268 #15,843
2012 modern 257 #16,212
2013 modern 273 #15,802
2014 modern 270 #16,020
2015 modern 262 #16,278
2016 modern 259 #16,393

Geography

Back to top

Where Cowdrys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Basingstoke, Basing, Eastrop, Newnham, Nately Scures, Up Nately, Andwell, London parishes and Battersea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merton and Wiltshire. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Basingstoke, Basing, Eastrop, Newnham, Nately Scures, Up Nately, Andwell Hampshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Battersea London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 004 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 Merton 009 Merton
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 Wiltshire 025 Wiltshire
5 Rhondda Cynon Taf 003 Rhondda Cynon Taf

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Cowdry

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Cowdry

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Cowdry surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cowdry household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Cowdry is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Cowdry 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

Cowdry 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 Cowdry 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 Cowdry, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Cowdry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cowdry 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. Wiltshire leads with 72 Cowdrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.49x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 72 28.49x
Middlesex 59 2.06x
Surrey 58 4.16x
Hampshire 57 9.73x
Berkshire 13 6.06x
Kent 10 1.03x
Sussex 9 1.87x
Gloucestershire 5 0.89x
Somerset 3 0.65x
Durham 2 0.24x
Lincolnshire 2 0.44x
Dorset 1 0.53x
Essex 1 0.18x
Warwickshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Battersea in Surrey leads with 38 Cowdrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.14x.

Place Total Index
Battersea 38 36.14x
Portsea 14 12.19x
Fulham London 13 31.36x
Fisherton Anger 9 192.31x
Islington London 9 3.25x
Warminster 9 162.45x
Hillingdon 8 87.82x
Sutton Veney 8 1126.76x
Alverstoke 7 33.02x
Basing 7 642.20x
Bishops Sutton 7 1666.67x
Camberwell 7 3.83x
Chippenham 7 132.08x
Chislehurst 7 133.84x
Whippingham 7 157.66x
Chelsea London 6 6.97x
Cove 6 779.22x
Fovant 6 1090.91x
Heytesbury 6 652.17x
Acton 5 29.85x
Edington 5 549.45x
Market Lavington 5 364.96x
Reading St Mary 5 29.10x
Basingstoke 4 59.35x
Bristol St George 4 15.43x
Cuckfield 4 82.14x
Reading St Lawrence 4 87.15x
Shoreditch London 4 3.23x
Ashe 3 1578.95x
Bermondsey 3 3.53x
Bradford On Avon 3 37.08x
Frindsbury 3 81.74x
Hammersmith London 3 4.26x
Hove 3 14.19x
Mortimer 3 291.26x
Newington 3 2.84x
Trowbridge 3 26.86x
Clee With Weelsby 2 20.00x
Devizes St James 2 59.52x
Milford 2 148.15x
Ouston 2 161.29x
Southwark St Olave 2 91.74x
Wandsworth 2 7.27x
Arborfield 1 384.62x
Birmingham 1 0.42x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 1.90x
Chard 1 17.95x
Croydon 1 1.29x
Devizes St John 1 52.63x
Ealing 1 3.92x
East Grinstead 1 14.66x
Everleigh 1 285.71x
Hackney London 1 0.62x
Hampstead London 1 2.25x
Harefield 1 68.03x
Harrow 1 22.88x
Herriard 1 250.00x
Horne 1 147.06x
Imber 1 263.16x
Kensington London 1 0.63x
Little Cheverell 1 454.55x
Mile End Old Town London 1 1.64x
Milston 1 666.67x
Montacute 1 119.05x
Norton Bavant 1 384.62x
Paddington London 1 0.95x
Portland 1 9.91x
Portsmouth 1 7.41x
Potterne Worton 1 303.03x
Reigate Foreign 1 6.63x
St Bartholomew Less 1 68.03x
St Marylebone London 1 0.66x
Street 1 555.56x
West Ham 1 0.80x
Weston 1 28.25x
Willesden 1 3.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Sarah 10
Elizabeth 9
Jane 7
Alice 6
Annie 5
Kate 5
Ann 4
Edith 4
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Emily 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Louisa 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Eleanor 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Minnie 2
Rhoda 2
Rose 2
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Blanche 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Ella 1
Emly 1
F. 1
F.A. 1
George 1
Johanna 1
Keturah 1
Kezia 1
Lavinia 1
Lila 1
Margaret 1
Marth 1
Maud 1
Winnifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 17
William 16
George 11
Thomas 8
Charles 7
Frank 7
Albert 5
Frederick 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Francis 4
Harry 4
John 4
Edmund 3
Edwin 3
Herbert 3
Joseph 3
Chas. 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Archibald 1
Benjamen 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Hezekiah 1
Infant 1
James 1
Jethro 1
Leicester 1
Louis 1
Nathaniel 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Roderick 1
Samuel 1
Seth 1
Sidney 1
Soloman 1
Theodore 1
Walter 1
Willm.J. 1

FAQ

Cowdry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cowdry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 293 people were recorded with the Cowdry surname. That placed it at #9,884 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cowdry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016. That gives Cowdry a modern rank of #16,393.

What does the Cowdry map show?

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