Meaning & origin
What it means
Cowley goes back to Old English cū, meaning “cow.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Old English cū (“cow”), from Old English col (“coal”), built from English cow + -leigh (“lea”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Similar names
If you love Cowley, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Onley
“only, alone”
92% boys · 8% girls
Calverley
“calf” · “woodland clearing, glade”
—
Bowley
“bow; riverbend”
—
Coward
Coward is a surname from Old English.
—
Cornwell
“cranes”
80% boys · 20% girls
Downley
“hill, mountain”
—
Mowsley
“mouse”
—
Colclough
“ravine”
—