NameCensus.

UK surname

Cowpe

In the 1881 census there were 160 people recorded with the Cowpe surname, ranking it #14,860 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119, ranked #27,704, down from #14,860 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Mansfield Woodhouse and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rossendale, Leeds and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cowpe is 240 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.6%.

1881 census count

160

Ranked #14,860

Modern count

119

2016, ranked #27,704

Peak year

1911

240 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cowpe had 160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,860 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016, ranked #27,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Cowpe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cowpe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cowpe 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 100 #21,103
1881 historical 160 #14,860
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 136 #19,110
1911 historical 240 #13,281
1997 modern 175 #19,161
1998 modern 175 #19,658
1999 modern 175 #19,798
2000 modern 169 #20,199
2001 modern 168 #19,986
2002 modern 170 #20,243
2003 modern 161 #20,697
2004 modern 154 #21,432
2005 modern 147 #22,057
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 140 #23,231
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 125 #26,298
2013 modern 129 #26,211
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 120 #27,561
2016 modern 119 #27,704

Geography

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Where Cowpes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Mansfield Woodhouse, Manchester, Blackburn and Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rossendale, Leeds, Allerdale and Mansfield. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Mansfield Woodhouse Nottinghamshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rossendale 002 Rossendale
2 Leeds 055 Leeds
3 Allerdale 008 Allerdale
4 Rossendale 004 Rossendale
5 Mansfield 007 Mansfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cowpe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cowpe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cowpe, 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 Cowpe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Cowpe 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Cowpe is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cowpe is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cowpe falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Cowpe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cowpe 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 144 Cowpes recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.87x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 144 7.87x
Kent 4 0.76x
Buckinghamshire 3 3.22x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.44x
Cornwall 2 1.15x
Derbyshire 1 0.41x
Essex 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Haslingden in Lancashire leads with 63 Cowpes recorded in 1881 and an index of 832.23x.

Place Total Index
Haslingden 63 832.23x
Newchurch 20 133.69x
Blackburn 14 28.78x
Musbury 10 1886.79x
Cowpe Lench Newhall Hey 9 461.54x
Goosnargh 5 847.46x
Tottington Lower End 5 57.54x
Everton 4 6.86x
Eynsford 4 444.44x
Tottington Higher End 4 192.31x
Halliwell 3 45.11x
Wycombe 3 43.17x
Manchester 2 2.43x
Mansfield 2 27.82x
Spotland 2 9.84x
St Ives 2 58.65x
Walmersley Cum 2 68.49x
Derby St Alkmund 1 13.83x
Hockley 1 303.03x
Lower Booths 1 30.49x
Mansfield Woodhouse 1 72.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Alice 6
Elizabeth 6
Sarah 6
Ellen 5
Hannah 3
Jane 3
Nancy 3
Ann 2
Elizth. 2
Isabella 2
Margaret 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Augusta 1
Bertha 1
Betty 1
Charlott 1
Clara 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Lettice 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
May 1
Olivia 1
Resamon 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 12
John 12
William 10
Thomas 9
George 5
Henry 5
Benjamin 2
Emanuel 2
Matthew 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Cyril 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Golen 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Jacob 1
Jas.W. 1
Jesse 1
Joshu 1
Lawrence 1
Norman 1
R.H. 1
Ralph 1
Richard 1
Rodger 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cowpe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cowpe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 160 people were recorded with the Cowpe surname. That placed it at #14,860 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cowpe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016. That gives Cowpe a modern rank of #27,704.

What does the Cowpe map show?

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