# Cowell (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/cowell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,618 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,269 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 46,652 people |
| Change since 2000 | +8.3% (6,110 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* As an Irish and Manx surname, shortened from McCawell, Anglicized from Mac Cathmhaoil (“son of Cathmhaol”), meaning "battle chief," see Caulfield. * Also as an Irish surname, shortened from Mac (Giolla) Comhghaill (“son of (the devotee of) Saint Comhghal”), see Cool. * Also as an Irish surname, shortened from McCool. * As an English surname, from several places named Cowhill, analyzable as cow + hill, or from Cowleigh in Worcestershire, equivalent to cow + Leigh. * Also as an English surname, variant of Cole. * As a Polish, Carpathian Rusyn and Jewish surname, Americanized from Kowal.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Cowell in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 10% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Similar surnames

Cole, Colley, Coelho, Cowley, Collie, Coello, Coll, Cella, Celli, Colli, Clay, Cooley.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.