2000
#40,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Cowher
An English surname likely derived from an archaic word for "cowherder" or "cowherd."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 572 Americans carry the last name Cowher. That puts it at #46,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 599,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cowher 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.
Bearers in the US
572
1 in 599,221
Census rank
#46,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
499
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 499 bearers of the surname Cowher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowher, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cowher
The surname "COWHER" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is likely derived from an occupation or a place name, as many surnames from this era were based on such descriptors.
One theory suggests that the name "COWHER" is a variation of the Old English word "cuhyrde," meaning a cowherd or a person who tended to cows. This occupation was common in rural areas, and surnames related to trades or professions were often adopted to distinguish individuals.
Another possibility is that the name is a locational surname, derived from a place name containing the word "cow" or a similar-sounding element. For instance, there are villages in England called Cowden and Cowfold, which could have given rise to the surname "COWHER."
Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show the surname "COWHER" appearing in various forms, such as "Couher," "Cower," and "Cowere." These spelling variations were common due to the inconsistent nature of record-keeping during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William Cowhere is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, which lists a John Cowhird.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name "COWHER" was Richard Cowher, a landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, England. He was born around 1320 and held significant estates in the region.
During the 15th century, the surname "COWHER" gained prominence in various parts of England. Thomas Cowher, born in 1425 in Warwickshire, was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Coventry.
In the 16th century, a notable individual with the surname "COWHER" was William Cowher, a scholar and clergyman born in 1521 in Oxfordshire. He studied at Oxford University and became a renowned theologian and author of several religious texts.
Another prominent figure from this era was Sir John Cowher, born in 1568 in Wiltshire. He was a military commander who served in the English Army during the Anglo-Spanish War and played a significant role in the defense of England against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cowher
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowher, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cowher 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 Cowher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 474
- Two or more races2.6% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cowher
Cowher 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
#40,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 539
+36 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 354 places
2020
#46,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 499
-40 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 5,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,908 | 503 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,554 | 539 | 0.18 | +36 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 354 places |
| 2020 | #46,089 | 499 | 0.17 | -40 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 5,535 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 Cowher 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 | #40,554 | #46,089 | -13.6% |
| Count | 539 | 499 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.17 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cowher bearers went from 539 to 499 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 5,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,554 to #46,089.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cowher
FAQ
Cowher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cowher?
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the surname Cowher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 599,221 residents.
How common is Cowher?
Cowher ranks #46,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 499 people with the surname Cowher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (572), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Cowher.
Has Cowher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cowher went from 539 recorded bearers to 499. That is a decrease of 40 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,554 to #46,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Cowher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cowher, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Cowher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cowher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Cowher (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 Cowher mean?
An English surname likely derived from an archaic word for "cowherder" or "cowherd." 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 Cowher (0.17 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 Americans have the surname Cowher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.