Cowley

English

Etymology

Various origins:

• The village in Gloucestershire is from Old English cū (“cow”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”); equivalent to cow +‎ -ley (“lea”).
• The hamlet in Derbyshire is from Old English col (“coal”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”); equivalent to coal +‎ -ley (“lea”).
• The other places in England are from the Old English personal name Cufa + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kaʊli/

Proper noun

Cowley (countable and uncountable, plural Cowleys)

1. A placename:
   1. A place in England:
      1. A hamlet in North East Derbyshire district, Derbyshire (OS grid ref SK338770).
      2. A hamlet in East Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref SX9095).
      3. A village and civil parish in Cotswold district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SO9614).
      4. A suburb in the borough of Hillingdon, Greater London (OS grid ref TQ055825).
      5. A suburb and industrial area in City of Oxford district, Oxfordshire (OS grid ref SP5504).
   2. A village in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek, No. 9, Alberta, Canada.
   3. An unincorporated community in Collin County, Texas, United States.
   4. A town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States.
   5. A rural locality in Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.
2. A habitational surname from Old English.

Derived terms

• Cowley County

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Cowley is the 5881^st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 5868 individuals. Cowley is most common among White (86.16%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Cowley”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 379.