The Coward surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,720 people carried this name — #6,012 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,500 people counted. That is down 3% from 5,880 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Coward surname

A surname originating as an occupation.

From Old English cūhierde (“cowherd”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Coward» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the cow-herd’.

An early record he cites: Cecilia Cowehird, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Coward and Cowart.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 211 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Coward was found among the farmers of Lancashire: 11 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

18 Coward families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 109 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 10
South Carolina 5
Maryland 3

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Coward in American newspapers,
1925.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Coward
Evening Star 1925-09-06
Newspaper page from The Washington Daily News carrying the name Coward
The Washington Daily News 1925-09-10
Newspaper page from The Washington Daily News carrying the name Coward
The Washington Daily News 1925-09-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 821 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Coward in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

22,659 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coward. The most, 3,714, date from the 1940s. 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 South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,520
South Australia 5,501
Queensland 4,721
Victoria 2,999
Tasmania 2,012
Western Australia 1,643
ACT (Canberra) 148
Northern Territory 45

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

Who carried it

People named Coward,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Henry Coward d. 1698 · shopkeeper
  • Cloelia Giulietta Coward d. 1870
  • William Coward d. 1715
  • Dolores Catherine Coward d. 1994
  • Arthur Cecil Coward d. 1943
  • William Coward 1634–1705 · politician

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

In the public record

People named Coward,
in the records of 7 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 States591 records

591 records of the Coward name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 245
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 122
  • Other U.S. records 224
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles F. Coward

    Born 1919 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at Syracuse; store manager from Onondaga County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Onondaga County Veterans Cemetery, Syracuse, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record James R. Coward

    Born 1904 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia; construction laborer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1963, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Clive Coward

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Blucher from Hamburg, aged 19; sailor. From London, England; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 591 records for Coward 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, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia677 records

677 records of the Coward name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 310
  • Tasmanian Names Index 193
  • Other Australian records 174
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Coward

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Woodbridge, sailing from London in 1843. Native of Marylebone, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Andrew James Coward

    Died 1922 in Infirmary, New¿town, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1922.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ellen Eliza Coward

    Born 1869 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1896 in Lefroy, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 677 records for Coward in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada46 records

46 records of the Coward name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 14
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 10
  • Other Canadian records 22
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Coward

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Quebec, bound for Collingwood, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frank Edward Coward

    Buried in 1989 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 74.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record George Elbridge Coward

    Died 1948 in Moser River, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 46 records for Coward in Canada.

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

United Kingdom31 records

31 records of the Coward name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  • Other British records 6
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Duncan Cecil Coward

    Born 1894 at London; chartered accountant's clerk. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hannah Coward

    Buried in 1821 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Coward

    Will proved in 1930; of Aber, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Coward in the United Kingdom.

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

New Zealand19 records

19 records of the Coward name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 11
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Blanche Ward Coward

    Died 1954, aged 76; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Phyllis Dorothy Coward

    Died 1987, aged 62; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Lena May Coward

    Died 1989, aged 82; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Coward in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway16 records

16 records of the Coward name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Gorgen Coward

    Census of 1910: Nye Skotlandsvei, Skien; merchant, born 1860 in Oddernæs Sogn.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Kathrine Coward

    Census of 1910: Kongensgade, Kristiansand; born 1887 in Chr.sand S.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Betzy Sofie Coward

    Census of 1910: Kjæmpegraven, Oddernes; born 1844 in Oddernes.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Coward in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France6 records

6 records of the Coward name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Odette Coward

    Born 1912 in Paris; died 1982 in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gustave Coward

    Born 1895 in Paris; died 1972 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emma Georgette Coward

    Born 1904 in Paris; died 1982 in Corbeil-Essonnes (Essonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Coward in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Coward.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Coward is.
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