The Cowen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,990 people carried this name — #6,755 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 59,200 people counted. That is down 1% from 5,051 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 33 people named Cowen live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 33

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Cowen was found among the farmers of Northumberland: 14 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. His list gives one count for the spellings Cowan and Cowen.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 14

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

140 families named Cowen, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 798 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. 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

Pennsylvania 33
North Carolina 26
Massachusetts 21
South Carolina 13
Maine 12
New York 11
Maryland 11
Rhode Island 10
New Hampshire 1
Connecticut 1
Virginia 1

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

Cowen in American newspapers,
1905–1911.

Newspaper page from Montana News carrying the name Cowen
Montana News 1905-11-15
Newspaper page from The Evening Standard carrying the name Cowen
The Evening Standard 1911-02-11
Newspaper page from The Ogden Standard carrying the name Cowen
The Ogden Standard 1910-05-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 60,921 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cowen in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

19,214 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cowen. The most, 3,638, date from the 1880s. Victoria 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 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 6,413
New South Wales 4,192
Queensland 3,229
Western Australia 2,909
South Australia 1,383
Tasmania 961
ACT (Canberra) 101
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Cowen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joseph Cowen
    Joseph Cowen 1800–1873 · politician
  • Joseph Cowen
    Joseph Cowen 1829–1900 · politician
  • Benjamin R. Cowen
    Benjamin R. Cowen 1831–1908 · military officer
  • John Kissig Cowen
    John Kissig Cowen 1844–1904 · lawyer
  • Esek Cowen 1787–1844
  • William Cowen 1791–1864 · painter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cowen,
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 States915 records

915 records of the Cowen name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 347
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 202
  • Other U.S. records 366
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John E. Cowen

    Born 1924 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at Rochester; machine shop worker from Seneca County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at East Randolph Cemetery, New York.

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

    Arrived at New Orleans in 1849 aboard the Trenton from Liverpool, aged 23; servant. From Ireland; bound for St. Louis.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Christopher Cowen

    Born 1947; from Woodlynne, New Jersey. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Long An, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 915 records for Cowen in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia690 records

690 records of the Cowen name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 259
  • Tasmanian Names Index 256
  • Other Australian records 175
  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 Thomas Cowen

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Juliana, sailing from England in 1820. Native of Birmingham, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

    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 Joseph Henry Cowen

    Died 1891 in Tasman, Tasmania, aged 55. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    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 Matilda Anne Cowen

    Born 1847 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1871 in Franklin, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 690 records for Cowen 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada28 records

28 records of the Cowen name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 19
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Joseph Cowen

    Died 1986; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary E. Cowen

    Died 1871 in Digby Neck, Digby, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Edwin Cowen

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 28 records for Cowen in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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 Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom9 records

9 records of the Cowen name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Cowen

    Ie of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record N. Cowen

    Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Cowen

    Gordon Highlanders. 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 9 records for Cowen in the United Kingdom.

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

France4 records

4 records of the Cowen 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 Eveline Cecilia Cowen

    Born 1907 in the United Kingdom; died 1990 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).

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

    Born 1934 in the United States; died 1987 in the United States.

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

    Born 1919 in the United States; died 1999 in Chevilly-Larue (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Cowen 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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Cowen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Benjamin Cowen

    Died 1818 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 63.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Margaret Cowen

    Married in 1760 in Rotterdam; born in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Cowen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Cowen name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janice Margaret Cowen

    Died 1974, aged 36; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: 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).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Cowen.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cowen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cowen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Cowen volume
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