NameCensus.

UK surname

Cowton

In the 1881 census there were 191 people recorded with the Cowton surname, ranking it #13,224 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 356, ranked #12,978, up from #13,224 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Pancras, Hunmanby and Stranton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hambleton, Ryedale and Scarborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cowton is 408 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.4%.

1881 census count

191

Ranked #13,224

Modern count

356

2016, ranked #12,978

Peak year

2010

408 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cowton had 191 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,224 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016, ranked #12,978.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 300 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cowton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cowton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Cowton 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 122 #14,966
1861 historical 184 #12,856
1881 historical 191 #13,224
1891 historical 243 #13,011
1901 historical 297 #11,721
1911 historical 300 #11,441
1997 modern 346 #12,273
1998 modern 366 #12,148
1999 modern 378 #11,935
2000 modern 388 #11,664
2001 modern 372 #11,855
2002 modern 380 #11,887
2003 modern 378 #11,741
2004 modern 378 #11,757
2005 modern 383 #11,565
2006 modern 381 #11,644
2007 modern 387 #11,652
2008 modern 402 #11,419
2009 modern 401 #11,712
2010 modern 408 #11,804
2011 modern 400 #11,865
2012 modern 382 #12,127
2013 modern 373 #12,550
2014 modern 376 #12,553
2015 modern 357 #12,979
2016 modern 356 #12,978

Geography

Back to top

Where Cowtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Pancras, Hunmanby, Stranton, Bradford and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hambleton, Ryedale and Scarborough. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
2 Hunmanby Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Stranton Durham
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hambleton 004 Hambleton
2 Ryedale 002 Ryedale
3 Scarborough 006 Scarborough
4 Scarborough 014 Scarborough
5 Ryedale 008 Ryedale

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Cowton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Cowton

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cowton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cowton 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Cowton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cowton 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

Cowton falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Cowton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cowton 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 170 Cowtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.21x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 170 9.21x
Worcestershire 9 3.70x
Middlesex 5 0.27x
Durham 3 0.54x
Lancashire 2 0.09x
Hampshire 1 0.26x
Herefordshire 1 1.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hunmanby in Yorkshire leads with 38 Cowtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4418.60x.

Place Total Index
Hunmanby 38 4418.60x
Arden 14 17500.00x
Bempton 9 4500.00x
Crowle 9 2647.06x
Wold Newton 9 4500.00x
Ganton 8 3636.36x
Northallerton 8 338.98x
Osmotherley 8 1355.93x
Thirsk 8 375.59x
Hilderthorpe 7 752.69x
Scampston 7 4666.67x
Bradford 6 13.43x
Scalby In Scarborough 6 1578.95x
Scarborough 6 35.78x
Holy Trinity 5 11.26x
Knayton With Brawith 5 2272.73x
St Pancras London 5 3.33x
Hartlepool 3 38.07x
York St Mary 3 39.22x
Sewerby Cum Marton 2 571.43x
Yapham With Meltonby 2 1333.33x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 1 15.85x
Bridlington 1 23.64x
Briercliffe Cum 1 136.99x
Broughton In Stokesley 1 277.78x
Carlton Miniott 1 416.67x
Caytn Deepdal Kilrby 1 256.41x
Clifton In York 1 25.91x
Dale Town 1 2500.00x
Filey 1 67.11x
Fordon 1 2500.00x
Goole 1 32.36x
Hereford St Nicholas 1 96.15x
Heslington St Lawrence 1 625.00x
Holdenhurst 1 9.98x
Hulme 1 2.17x
Kepwick 1 909.09x
Kilham 1 129.87x
Leeds 1 0.96x
North Burton 1 285.71x
Rosedale East Side 1 400.00x
Wakefield 1 7.06x
Water Fulford 1 5000.00x
West Rounton 1 714.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Sarah 13
Jane 6
Ann 4
Annie 4
Hannah 4
Alice 3
Charlotte 3
Eliza 3
Elizabeth 3
Anne 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Harriet 2
Harriotte 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Matilda 2
Betsy 1
Cicely 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Georgena 1
Grace 1
J. 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Margarett 1
Pamela 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1
Violetta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
John 11
Thomas 11
Robert 8
Joseph 6
George 5
Charles 3
Francis 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Benjamin 2
Edward 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Mark 2
Albert 1
Bafe 1
Bengiman 1
Christopher 1
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Harper 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Jeffrey 1
Martin 1
Maryan 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1
Watson 1
Welburn 1

FAQ

Cowton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cowton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 191 people were recorded with the Cowton surname. That placed it at #13,224 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cowton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016. That gives Cowton a modern rank of #12,978.

What does the Cowton map show?

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