2000
#72
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 253,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 94.07
Common Last name
Cox
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cocks, an old English word for chickens.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 286,535 Americans carry the last name Cox. That puts it at #82 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 83.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cox 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 Cox with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
287K
1 in 1,196
Census rank
#82
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
83.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
250K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 249,872 bearers of the surname Cox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 83.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 82nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cox, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cox
The surname Cox originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English word 'coc', meaning a lookout or watchman. It was an occupational name given to those who worked as sentries or guards, particularly in coastal regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the name Cox or similar spellings like Coc and Cok.
In the 13th century, the name Cox appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed people with the surname Cox or its variants in counties such as Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset.
The surname Cox was also associated with certain place names, such as Coxheath in Kent, which derived its name from the Old English words 'coc' and 'hæth', meaning a lookout on a heath or open land.
Notable individuals with the surname Cox throughout history include:
1. Sir Richard Cox (1650-1733), an Anglo-Irish historian and author of the "Hibernia Anglicana" and other works on Irish history.
2. David Cox (1783-1859), an English landscape painter known for his watercolor paintings of Birmingham and the surrounding areas.
3. Kenyon Cox (1856-1919), an American painter, illustrator, and writer who was a leading figure in the American Renaissance movement.
4. James M. Cox (1870-1957), an American politician and publisher who served as the 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio and was the Democratic nominee for President in 1920.
5. Renée Cox (born 1960), an American contemporary artist known for her thought-provoking and often controversial mixed-media works exploring themes of race, gender, and identity.
While the surname Cox has evolved over time, it remains a testament to the occupational roots and historical significance of those who once served as watchmen and sentries in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cox
Among Census respondents with the surname Cox, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cox 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 Cox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 198,513
- Black or African American11.8% · 29,385
- Two or more races4.1% · 10,327
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 8,455
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,630
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,562
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cox
Cox 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
#78
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 261,231
+7,460 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 88.56
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#82
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 249,872
-11,359 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 83.60
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72 | 253,771 | 94.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78 | 261,231 | 88.56 | +7,460 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #82 | 249,872 | 83.60 | -11,359 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 4 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 Cox 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 | #78 | #82 | -5.1% |
| Count | 261,231 | 249,872 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 88.56 | 83.60 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cox bearers went from 261,231 to 249,872 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #78 to #82.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cox
FAQ
Cox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cox?
Name Census estimates that about 286,535 living Americans carry the surname Cox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,196 residents.
How common is Cox?
Cox ranks #82 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 83.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 84 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 249,872 people with the surname Cox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (286,535), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 83.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 83.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 84 of them to have the surname Cox.
Has Cox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cox went from 261,231 recorded bearers to 249,872. That is a decrease of 11,359 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #78 to #82.
What does the Census say about the background of Cox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cox, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (198,513 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Black (11.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cox (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 Cox mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cocks, an old English word for chickens. 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 Cox (83.60 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 Cox?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.