NameCensus.

UK surname

Cowl

A surname referring to a maker or seller of cowls (fabric hoods).

In the 1881 census there were 181 people recorded with the Cowl surname, ranking it #13,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 123, ranked #27,115, down from #13,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sutton and Stoneferry, Padstow and Marske. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Bury and York.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cowl is 213 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.0%.

1881 census count

181

Ranked #13,690

Modern count

123

2016, ranked #27,115

Peak year

1911

213 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cowl had 181 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016, ranked #27,115.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 213 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Cowl surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cowl surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cowl 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 125 #14,700
1861 historical 111 #19,429
1881 historical 181 #13,690
1891 historical 178 #16,264
1901 historical 206 #14,845
1911 historical 213 #14,379
1997 modern 139 #22,132
1998 modern 148 #21,841
1999 modern 155 #21,375
2000 modern 150 #21,781
2001 modern 146 #21,857
2002 modern 152 #21,723
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 151 #21,720
2005 modern 143 #22,473
2006 modern 141 #22,833
2007 modern 139 #23,377
2008 modern 141 #23,383
2009 modern 143 #23,686
2010 modern 141 #24,460
2011 modern 140 #24,395
2012 modern 136 #24,830
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 127 #26,494
2016 modern 123 #27,115

Geography

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Where Cowls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sutton and Stoneferry, Padstow, Marske, London parishes and St Michael-le-Belfry and St Olave Marygate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Bury and York. 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 Sutton and Stoneferry Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Padstow Cornwall
3 Marske Yorkshire, North Riding
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Michael-le-Belfry and St Olave Marygate Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 048 Cornwall
2 Bury 003 Bury
3 York 003 York
4 York 023 York
5 Cornwall 022 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cowl

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cowl

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Cowl surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Cowl 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Cowl is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cowl is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Cowl

The surname COWL is of English origin, first appearing in records during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cuhol" or "cuhle," meaning a cowl or a hood. The cowl was a distinctive part of the garments worn by monks in medieval times, and it is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who bore a resemblance to a cowled monk or worked in monasteries.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname COWL can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a William Couhulle in Oxfordshire, and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 include a John Couhull in Staffordshire. These early spellings highlight the evolution of the surname from its Old English roots.

One of the earliest notable bearers of the surname was John Cowl, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol, who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he owned significant property in the city and surrounding areas. Another early figure was William Cowl, a prominent clergyman who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1413 to 1436.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname COWL was particularly concentrated in certain regions of England, such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Devon. This is evident from parish records and other historical documents from that period. A notable individual from this era was Richard Cowl (1564-1620), a poet and playwright who was born in Somerset and is believed to have been the author of the play "The Knave of Clubbs."

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the COWL surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with some bearers also migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One notable figure was Sir John Cowl (1779-1856), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and was later appointed as the Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital in Torbay.

Throughout its history, the surname COWL has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from merchants and landowners to clergymen and military personnel. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the historical records of England and other parts of the world where English settlers and immigrants have ventured.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cowl families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cowl 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 58 Cowls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.32x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 58 3.32x
Cornwall 57 28.52x
Lancashire 16 0.76x
Devon 14 3.81x
Norfolk 12 4.42x
Derbyshire 9 3.26x
Durham 6 1.14x
Essex 5 1.43x
Lincolnshire 2 0.71x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
Northumberland 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Padstow in Cornwall leads with 22 Cowls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1654.14x.

Place Total Index
Padstow 22 1654.14x
Derby St Werburgh 9 56.39x
Sutton Stoneferry 9 179.64x
West Derby 9 14.68x
East Stonehouse 8 110.50x
Great Yarmouth 8 35.59x
Leeds 8 8.10x
St Erme 8 2580.65x
Layton With Warbreck 7 91.03x
Bodmin 6 181.27x
Clifton In York 6 163.93x
Marske In Guisbrough 6 192.93x
York St Cuthbert 6 375.00x
Antony 5 259.07x
Feock 5 400.00x
Horndon On Hill 5 1388.89x
Stoke Damerel 5 19.44x
York St Margaret 5 462.96x
Sprowston 4 333.33x
St Clement 4 191.39x
York Holy Trinity 4 264.90x
Askham Bryan 3 1666.67x
Evenwood Barony 3 167.60x
Kirkleatham 3 127.12x
Probus 3 365.85x
Boldon 2 106.95x
Great Grimsby 2 11.16x
Sculcoates 2 7.21x
York St Peter The 2 1000.00x
Hexham 1 24.57x
Hinderwell 1 67.11x
Holy Trinity St Mary 1 37.59x
Little Petherick 1 769.23x
Pannal 1 59.52x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.53x
Ryton Woodside 1 153.85x
St Agnes 1 35.71x
St Austell 1 14.64x
St George In East London 1 6.02x
St Ives 1 25.58x
Sutton 1 50.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 9
Annie 7
Jane 5
Catherine 4
Emily 4
Anne 3
Bessie 3
Margaret 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Annis 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Eve 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Rachel 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Catharine 1
Charllot 1
Eliza 1
Eloaner 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eveline 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Georgie 1
Gertrude 1
Helena 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Liley 1
Livinia 1
Lottie 1
Mabel 1
Mable 1
Margeret 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Millicent 1
Patty 1
Phillippa 1
Rachael 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
George 14
William 9
Thomas 6
James 5
Alfred 4
Charles 4
Henry 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Richard 3
Albert 1
Goldsmith 1
Jno.W. 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Tom 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Cowl surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cowl surname in 1881?

In 1881, 181 people were recorded with the Cowl surname. That placed it at #13,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cowl surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016. That gives Cowl a modern rank of #27,115.

What does the Cowl surname mean?

A surname referring to a maker or seller of cowls (fabric hoods).

What does the Cowl map show?

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