Show ContentsCowling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Cowling is Mac Giolla Chuille. Cuille has been suggested to be an abbreviation of Mochuille, the name of a saint. However, other origins also exist for this name.

Early Origins of the Cowling family

The surname Cowling was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Cowling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cowling research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1667, 1743 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Cowling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cowling Spelling Variations

Spelling rules had not yet evolved in medieval Scotland, some names dating from that era often appear many different ways. Some spelling variations of Cowling include Cooley, Cooling, Cowley, Cully, Colly, McCooley, Coaley, Coolyng, Couley, Colley, McCowley, Cooleng, McCoolay, Coolay, Collay, Cullay, Cowleigh, Culleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Cowling family

More information is included under the topic Early Cowling Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cowling Ranking

In the United States, the name Cowling is the 18,279th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Cowling migration to the United States +

The Boernician-Scottish people who came to North America were often nearly penniless when they arrived, and brought very few personal effects with them. Much Scottish heritage was lost in the process, and it is only this century that highland games, Clan societies, and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Scots to rediscover their national legacy. Cowlings were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Cowling Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jos Cowling, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 [2]
Cowling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Cowling, aged 48, who landed in New York in 1812 [2]
  • James Cowling, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 [2]
  • Mr. Peter Cowling, aged 23, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
  • Mr. Samuel S. Cowling, (b. 1867), aged 26, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1893 en route to Pennsylvania, USA [3]
  • Mr. Charles Cowling, (b. 1872), aged 27, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1899 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA [3]
Cowling Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. James Henry Cowling, (b. 1887), aged 18, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to De Lamar, Idaho, USA [3]
  • Mr. William Cowling, (b. 1885), aged 20, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to the United States [3]

Australia Cowling migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cowling Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Collis Cowling, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]
  • Mr. William Cowling, (Deacon), (b. 1787), aged 32 born in Cornwall, UK convicted in CornwallMarch1819, sentenced for 14 years for break and enter, transported aboard the ship "Dromedary" in 1819 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia [5]
  • Mr. William Cowling(b. 1787), aged 32, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 22nd March 1819, sentenced for 14 years for breaking and entering the house of Henry Cockreill, transported aboard the ship "Dromedary" in September 1819 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia [6]
  • Mr. William Cowling, (Deacon, Tucker), English convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
  • Mr. John Cowling, (b. 1804), aged 39, English farm labourer who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1847 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Cowling migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cowling Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Cowling, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
  • Mr. Cowling, English settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dunfillan" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 [9]
  • Mr. Cowling, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Durham" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 [9]
  • Mrs. Anne Cowling, (b. 1848), aged 29, Cornish settler departing on 31st October 1877 aboard the ship "Hereford" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 19th January 1878 [10]
  • Mr. James Henry Cowling, (b. 1870), aged 7, Cornish settler departing on 31st October 1877 aboard the ship "Hereford" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 19th January 1878 [10]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cowling (post 1700) +

  • Gary Cowling (1961-2020), American stage and motion picture actor from Newport News, Virginia
  • Bruce Cowling (1919-1986), American film and television actor who appeared in twenty films including Battleground (1949), Cause for Alarm! (1951) and To Hell and Back (1955)
  • William C. Cowling, American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Winnebago County 1st District; Elected 1902 [11]
  • John L. Cowling, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 4th District, 1961 [11]
  • Peter "Mars" Cowling (1946-2018), English bass guitarist, best known for his work with Pat Travers
  • Robin James Cowling (b. 1944), former English rugby union player
  • Marlene Cowling (b. 1941), Canadian politician, member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 1997
  • Michael George Cowling (b. 1949), Australian pure mathematician
  • Thomas George Cowling FRS (1906-1990), English astronomer, recipient of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1956
  • David Roy "Dave" Cowling (b. 1958), English former professional footballer
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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