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Cowley Family History

Cowley Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Cowley. One in Gloucestershire is named with Old English ‘cow’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’; two in Derbyshire have Old English col ‘(char)coal’ as the first element; and one near London is from Old English cofa ‘shelter bay’ (see Cove ) or the personal name Cofa. The largest group however with examples in Buckinghamshire Devon Oxfordshire and Staffordshire were apparently named as ‘the wood or clearing of Cufa’; however in view of the number of places called with this element it is possible that it conceals a topographic term as well as a personal name. Irish: shortened form of Macaulay (see McCauley ). Manx: shortened form of Gaelic Mac Amhlaoibh ‘son of Amhlaoibh’ (a Gaelicized form of Old Norse Óláfr). For an alternative Manx form of the same patronymic see Callow .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Howley, Coley, Bowley, Copley, Rowley, Corley, Comley, Onley, Godley

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Where is the Cowley family from?

You can see how Cowley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cowley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cowley families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 82 Cowley families living in Ontario. This was about 40% of all the recorded Cowley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Cowley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cowley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Cowley ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Servant were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Cowley. 40% of Cowley men worked as a Farmer and 27% of Cowley women worked as a Servant. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cowley were Mechanic and Cook. .

View Census Data for Cowley | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    40%
  • Labourer
    17%
  • Butcher
    7%
  • Mechanic
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servant
    27%
  • Stenographer
    20%
  • Cashier
    14%
  • Cook
    14%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Cowley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 131,000 census records available for the last name Cowley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cowley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Cowley

Passenger Lists

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Cowley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Cowley. For the veterans among your Cowley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Cowley lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Cowley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Cowley in 1944 was 38, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cowley

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