2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Cobain
A variant of the French surname Coban, referring to someone living in a small cottage or cabin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 169 Americans carry the last name Cobain. That puts it at #123,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,028,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cobain surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cobain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
169
1 in 2,028,132
Census rank
#123,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
147
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 147 bearers of the surname Cobain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 123144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cobain
The surname Cobain originated in the north of England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'cobbyn', which meant a small shelter or dwelling. The name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a modest abode or hut.
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are several references to place names that could be related to the Cobain surname. For instance, the village of Cobbenhai in Worcestershire and the hamlet of Cobbyngton in Derbyshire may have been named after early Cobain settlers in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cobain surname dates back to 1273, when a certain Richard Cobyn was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire. Another early bearer of the name was John Cobayn, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
During the Middle Ages, the Cobain name appeared to have been concentrated primarily in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. Variations in spelling were common, with surnames like Cobayne, Cobyn, and Cobbyn also being used.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Cobain surname was John Cobayn, a merchant and alderman in the city of York. He lived from around 1510 to 1585 and was involved in civic affairs and trade.
Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Cobain, a landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born around 1565 and died in 1623.
During the English Civil War in the 1640s, a Royalist soldier named Captain William Cobain fought for King Charles I. He was killed in battle in 1643 at the age of 38.
In the 18th century, a wealthy merchant and landowner named Robert Cobain lived in the town of Pontefract in Yorkshire. He was born in 1712 and passed away in 1789.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a prominent figure was Sir James Cobain, a British diplomat and ambassador who served in various countries across Europe and Asia. He was born in 1824 and died in 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cobain
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cobain bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cobain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 21
- Two or more races5.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cobain
Cobain appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+5 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,110 places
2020
#123,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+7 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 4,110 places |
| 2020 | #123,144 | 147 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 80 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cobain surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #123,064 | #123,144 | -0.1% |
| Count | 140 | 147 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cobain bearers went from 140 to 147 (+5.0% change). The surname moved down 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #123,144.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cobain
FAQ
Cobain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cobain?
Name Census estimates that about 169 living Americans carry the surname Cobain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,028,132 residents.
How common is Cobain?
Cobain ranks #123,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 147 people with the surname Cobain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (169), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cobain.
Has Cobain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cobain went from 140 recorded bearers to 147. That is an increase of 7 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #123,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Cobain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cobain, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cobain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cobain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Hispanic (14.3%), Two or More Races (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cobain (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cobain mean?
A variant of the French surname Coban, referring to someone living in a small cottage or cabin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cobain (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cobain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.