English: habitational name from any of the various places
called Cowley. One in Gloucestershire is named with Old English
cu ‘cow’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’; two in
Derbyshire have Old English col ‘(char)coal’ as the first
element; and one near London has it 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
named with this element, it is possible that it conceals a
topographical term as well as a personal name.Irish:
reduced form of Macaulay (see McCauley).
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
373,453
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Cowley
Click on a place to view Cowley immigration records
The information for this chart came from the U.S. Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com.
You can find out where the majority of the Cowley families were living before
they immigrated to the U.S and learn where to focus your search for foreign records.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival, and destination.
Click on a circle in the chart to view Cowley immigration records
You can find out when most of the Cowley families immigrated
to the United States.
You can focus your search to immigration records dating from that era.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival and destination.
Click on a circle in the chart to view Cowley birth and death records
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your ancestors lived in harsh conditions.
A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in
your family.
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