COWLEY
Cowley is an English surname of locational origin, recording its earliest attestations in the Anglo-Saxon period of the British Isles. The name is derived from the Old English elements cu, meaning “cow”, and leah, meaning “wood”, “clearing” or “meadow”. Accordingly, the literal meaning of the surname is “cow pasture” or “cow meadow”, and it was originally applied to inhabitants who lived near or worked in such a setting.
The place-name form of the surname appears in several English counties. In Buckinghamshire, the village of Cowley is recorded as Cufanlea in the year 949; in Oxfordshire it is shown as Couela; in Devonshire as Couelegh; and in Staffordshire as Covelav. These early forms reflect the Old English personal name Cufa combined with leah, giving the sense of “the clearing of Cufa”. Other locations bearing the name include Gloucestershire (recorded as Kulege in the 1086 Domesday Book) and Middlesex (noted as a “leah in a cofa”, an old term for a recess or creek). Two Derbyshire villages, both recorded as Collei, have the first element derived from col, meaning “charcoal”, and therefore are interpreted as “clearing where charcoal was burned”.
The earliest documented spelling of the surname as a family name is Osbert de Couela, dated 1167 and preserved in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire during the reign of King Henry I. A notable early bear‑er of the name was William Cowley, aged 20, who departed London aboard the ship America bound for Virginia; he is recorded as one of the earliest settlers in the New World.
Throughout the Middle Ages the surname was typically associated with rural communities where cattle husbandry was a principal occupation. The agricultural importance of cows in northern and midland England is reflected in the frequency of place-names and surnames that incorporate the element cu. The name has remained relatively common within England, especially in regions where settlements named Cowley exist, such as Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Middlesex.
From the seventeenth century onward, emigration patterns saw bearers of the surname Cowley settle in North America, Australia, and other parts of the British Empire. Consequently, the surname can now be encountered in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, although its prevalence varies by locale. Despite overseas dispersion, the name continues to be predominantly of English origin.
Variant spellings of the surname include Cowly, Couley, Cawley, Cowle (particularly in Devon), Cowlee, and Cowlea. In the United States, the spelling Kowley can also be found, likely a phonetic adaptation by immigrants. Related surnames that share the Old English leah element include Lee, Leigh, and Wood, although they are not necessarily borne by the same families.
Typical given names associated with the Cowley surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Joanne
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Coley
- Colie
- Cole
- Coli
- Coiley
- Coles
- Cohley
- Coaley
- Coalley
- Cowely
- Cowle
- Chole
- Colies
- Colley
- Collie
- Colly
- Coly
- Colye
- Cowl
- Cowlay
- Cowlee
- Cowlie
- Cowlley
- Cowly
- Cowlyn
- Koley
- Kolley
- Kowley
- Choli
- Colay
- Colis
- Colli
- Collies
- Coloe
- Colyn
- Coole
- Cowls
- Coyley
- Crawley
- Croley
- Crowley
- Crowly
- Kolly
- Koly
- Cloy
- Gailey
- Kaley
- Keely
- Keily
- Kelley
- Kiley
- Killey
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Cowley in...
Braille
⠉⠕⠺⠇⠑⠽
Morse
-.-.---.--.-...-.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 10,845 people named Cowley in the UK. That makes it the 853rd most common surname in Britain. Around 167 in a million people in Britain are named Cowley.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cowley
- Danny Cowley - Football player and manager
- Neil Cowley - Musician
- Hannah Cowley - Writer, dramatist, poet (1743 to 1809)
- Hannah Cowley - Film actress and director
- Simon Cowley - Cricketer
- Michael Cowley - Cyclist
- Denis Martin Cowley - Judge (1919 to 1985)
- Alan Cowley - Chemist
- John Cowley - Army general (1905 to 1993)
- Jack Cowley - Football player (1877 to 1926)
- Sarah Cowley - Diplomat. Ambassador to Latvia 2013-2017
- Darren Cowley - Cricketer
- John Cowley - (1885 to 1957)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.