COWARD

COWARD. Although the popular derivation of this opprobrious word from "cow-herd " (wliose occupation would beregarded with some disdain by the chivalrous in the middle ages) is untenable, I think it quite probable that the surname may be from that source, like Shepherd, Ha}ward, and other similar names.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.