The Cosby surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 10,300 people carried this name — #3,471 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 28,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 10,121 in 2000.

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In print

Cosby in American newspapers,
1862–1906.

Newspaper page from The Paducah Sun carrying the name Cosby
The Paducah Sun 1905-02-18
Newspaper page from The Hillsborough Recorder carrying the name Cosby
The Hillsborough Recorder 1862-07-16
Newspaper page from The San Francisco Call carrying the name Cosby
The San Francisco Call 1906-06-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,411 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cosby in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

641 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cosby. The most, 155, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 3.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 300
Western Australia 182
Victoria 57
Queensland 35
South Australia 27
Tasmania 26
ACT (Canberra) 14

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cosby.

Who carried it

People named Cosby,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alexander Cosby d. 1759
  • Jane Loftus d. 1734
  • Richard Cosby d. 1730
  • William Cosby d. 1596
  • William Cosby d. 1683
  • Thomas Cosby d. 1713

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cosby,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States626 records

626 records of the Cosby name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 328
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 158
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 67
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 26
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 15
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 14
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 7
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Burnice Cosby

    Born 1913 in Georgia. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky; laundry worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Spring Grove Cemetery Assn, Cincinnati, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David Franklin Cosby

    Born 1941; from Richmond, Virginia. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Biddy Cosby

    Arrived at New York in 1851 aboard the Enterprise from Liverpool, aged 26; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 626 records for Cosby in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada82 records

82 records of the Cosby name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 64
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 9
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Cosby

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Niger, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James E. Cosby

    Died 1911 in Bear River, Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Stanley Cosby

    Buried in 1968 at Lundys Lane Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

    City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls.

Showing 3 of 82 records for Cosby in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Australia7 records

7 records of the Cosby name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 3
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 3
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jabez Cosby

    Arrived in Victoria in 1844 as an assisted immigrant aboard the Abberton, aged 22.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jeremiah Cosby

    Died 1880 in Richmond, Tasmania, aged 74.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ross Cosby

    Of Marrickville, New South Wales; died 1904.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Cosby in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Cosby name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Thomas Arthur Cosby

    Died 1899, aged 46; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Owen Baran Kylsant Cosby

    Will proved in 1937; of Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. W. Cosby

    Corporal, Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Cosby in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cosby.

When the index is not enough

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