NameCensus.

UK surname

Cowgill

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cow hill" or "cow gill (ravine)."

In the 1881 census there were 754 people recorded with the Cowgill surname, ranking it #4,895 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 579, ranked #8,957, down from #4,895 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kildwick, Thornton in Craven and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pendle, Ribble Valley and Craven.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cowgill is 930 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 23.2%.

1881 census count

754

Ranked #4,895

Modern count

579

2016, ranked #8,957

Peak year

1901

930 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cowgill had 754 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,895 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 579 in 2016, ranked #8,957.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 930 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Cowgill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cowgill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cowgill 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 538 #4,683
1861 historical 489 #5,336
1881 historical 754 #4,895
1891 historical 834 #4,880
1901 historical 930 #5,016
1911 historical 930 #4,827
1997 modern 647 #7,677
1998 modern 640 #7,999
1999 modern 642 #8,039
2000 modern 626 #8,179
2001 modern 605 #8,249
2002 modern 614 #8,316
2003 modern 610 #8,223
2004 modern 608 #8,270
2005 modern 608 #8,198
2006 modern 594 #8,345
2007 modern 600 #8,358
2008 modern 599 #8,428
2009 modern 616 #8,428
2010 modern 609 #8,686
2011 modern 599 #8,708
2012 modern 597 #8,640
2013 modern 585 #8,902
2014 modern 585 #8,966
2015 modern 592 #8,815
2016 modern 579 #8,957

Geography

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Where Cowgills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kildwick, Thornton in Craven, Bradford, Huddersfield and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pendle, Ribble Valley and Craven. 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 Kildwick Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Thornton in Craven Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pendle 003 Pendle
2 Ribble Valley 001 Ribble Valley
3 Craven 007 Craven
4 Ribble Valley 003 Ribble Valley
5 Craven 001 Craven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cowgill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cowgill

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Cowgill 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

Cowgill is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cowgill falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Cowgill

The surname Cowgill is an English locational name that originated in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is derived from the Old English words "cu" meaning cow and "gil" meaning a ravine or deep glen, denoting someone who lived near a cow ravine or pasture. The name was first recorded in the 13th century as "de Coughell" and "de Cugehull" in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard de Coughell, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275. The Cowgill family held lands near the village of Cowgill, located in the Yorkshire Dales, which was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cugel".

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Coughill, Cowghell, and Cowgell before settling into its modern form of Cowgill. Notable individuals with this surname include John Cowgill (1633-1700), an English Quaker minister and writer, and Jonathan Cowgill (1677-1739), an English clockmaker and inventor from Yorkshire.

In the 18th century, members of the Cowgill family migrated to America, where the name can be found in early colonial records. One of the earliest American bearers was William Cowgill (1712-1768), a Quaker farmer from Chester County, Pennsylvania. Another notable figure was John Cowgill (1809-1891), an American lawyer and politician from Illinois who served as a judge and a member of the Illinois General Assembly.

The 19th century saw the birth of several prominent individuals with the Cowgill surname, including Sir Henry Alfred Cowgill (1859-1928), a British civil engineer and surveyor who worked on railway projects in India, and William Cowgill (1834-1916), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Throughout its history, the Cowgill surname has maintained a strong connection to its Yorkshire roots, with many bearers tracing their ancestry back to the villages and towns of the Yorkshire Dales region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cowgill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cowgill 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. Yorkshire leads with 494 Cowgills recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.78x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 494 6.78x
Lancashire 240 2.75x
Cheshire 8 0.49x
Middlesex 4 0.05x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.40x
Devon 2 0.13x
Warwickshire 2 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thornton In Craven in Yorkshire leads with 104 Cowgills recorded in 1881 and an index of 1777.78x.

Place Total Index
Thornton In Craven 104 1777.78x
Great Little Marsden 64 160.08x
Huddersfield 42 39.56x
Burnley 30 40.82x
Manningham 30 33.41x
Horton In Bradford 23 20.21x
Horsforth 22 137.67x
Cowling 21 443.97x
Bradford 20 11.34x
Colne 19 73.08x
Bingley 17 36.62x
Bradford Girlington 16 490.80x
Shipley 15 39.66x
Habergham Eaves 14 17.55x
Newchurch 14 19.61x
Clitheroe 13 50.60x
Keighley 13 16.73x
Spotland 12 12.37x
Bowland Forest Low 11 1428.57x
Thornhill 11 51.72x
Butterworth 10 47.04x
Didsbury 10 86.28x
Trawden 10 183.15x
Cliviger 9 183.30x
Long Preston 9 505.62x
Lepton 8 105.12x
Wilsden 8 106.81x
Carlton In Skipton 7 164.32x
Dalton In Huddersfield 7 42.87x
Pendlebury 7 37.98x
Skipton 7 30.51x
Calverley Cum Farsley 6 28.99x
Guiseley 6 64.31x
Meltham 6 52.96x
Cleckheaton 5 18.62x
Hipperholme Cum 5 15.61x
Hulme 5 2.74x
Manchester 5 1.27x
Pudsey 5 12.83x
Sheffield 5 2.15x
Barton Upon Irwell 4 6.09x
Birkenhead 4 3.09x
Eastwood 4 45.15x
Farnhill 4 283.69x
Kildwick 4 60.24x
Martons Both 4 677.97x
Mirfield 4 10.00x
Beswick 3 13.44x
Dukinfield 3 4.00x
Elslack 3 1428.57x
Leeds 3 0.73x
Marsden In Almondbury 3 45.25x
Morley 3 7.92x
Moss Side 3 6.53x
Tottington Lower End 3 7.23x
Warley 3 14.24x
Batley 2 2.89x
Bolton In Bradford 2 42.83x
Bowling 2 2.77x
Cononley 2 95.69x
Droylsden 2 7.02x
Halifax 2 1.87x
Headingley Cum Burley 2 4.26x
Heaton 2 25.54x
Honley 2 15.67x
Leamington Priors 2 4.38x
Stoke Newington London 2 3.49x
Sutton In Keighley 2 48.43x
Totnes 2 22.32x
Yeadon 2 12.15x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 0.52x
Barden In Skipton 1 101.01x
Barnoldswick 1 9.83x
Bolton By Bowland 1 56.50x
Fewston 1 123.46x
Glusburn 1 24.27x
Hellifield 1 93.46x
Hetton 1 384.62x
South Crosland 1 13.04x
Timperley 1 17.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 62
Sarah 41
Elizabeth 35
Ann 20
Annie 15
Jane 14
Hannah 13
Martha 11
Ellen 10
Betty 9
Margaret 9
Alice 8
Nancy 7
Emma 6
Ada 5
Eliz. 5
Emily 5
Isabella 5
Maria 4
Betsy 3
Edith 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Rebecca 3
Susannah 3
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Eleanor 2
Esther 2
Eva 2
Frances 2
Leah 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Minnie 2
Nanny 2
Ruth 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Jasie 1
Jessie 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 50
William 39
James 34
Joseph 23
Thomas 22
George 13
Wm. 11
Benjamin 10
Brian 8
Henry 7
Jonas 6
Ernest 5
Charles 4
Edwin 4
Herbert 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Tom 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Christopher 3
David 3
Fred 3
Harry 3
Hartley 3
Robinson 3
Samuel 3
Smith 3
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Arthur 2
Bryon 2
Edward 2
Eli 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Harrison 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Jno. 2
Jonathan 2
Thos. 2
Wilfred 2
Christ 1
Ellis 1
Everett 1
Fairbank 1
Ingham 1
Isaas 1
Zebulun 1

FAQ

Cowgill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cowgill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 754 people were recorded with the Cowgill surname. That placed it at #4,895 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cowgill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 579 in 2016. That gives Cowgill a modern rank of #8,957.

What does the Cowgill surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "cow hill" or "cow gill (ravine)."

What does the Cowgill map show?

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