The surname Cowley has numerous origins. In some cases it originated as a habitational name, derived from any of the several places in England named Cowley. One such place, in Gloucestershire, is derived from two Old English elements: the first, cu, meaning "cow"; the second element, leah, meaning "woodland clearing". Two other places are located in Derbyshire which are derived from the Old English col, meaning "coal" (in reference to charcoal). Another place is located near London, which can has two possible derivations: the first is from the Old English cofa, meaning "shelter" or "bay"; the second possibility is that this place name is derived from the Old English personal name Cofa. Other places are located in Buckinghamshire, Devon, Oxfordshire, and Staffordshire: these place names are thought to be derived from elements meaning "the wood or clearing of Cufa", although they may also contain topographical elements as well. In some cases the surname Cowley is derived from the Irish-language surname Mac Amhlaoibh, meaning "son of Amhlaoibh".
The surname has been borne by a noted Irish family, who were one of the so-called 'Ten Tribes of Kilkenny'. The ten families bore the surnames Archdekin, Archer, Cowley, Knaresborough, Langton, Lawless, Ley, Ragget, Rothe, and Shee. Of the ten, only the Shees were considered to be of Irish ancestry; the nine others, including the Cowleys, were of English origin.
Abraham Cowley (1618–1667), English poetR Adams Cowley (1917–1991), American surgeonAlan Cowley, British professor of chemistrySir Alfred Cowley (1848–1926), Australian politicianA.E. Cowley (1849–1916), missionary in Sindh, then in western IndiaAmbrose Cowley, 17th century English explorerSir Arthur Cowley (librarian) (1861–1931), Bodley's Librarian at the University of OxfordBill Cowley (1912–1993), Canadian ice hockey playerCharles Henry Cowley VC (1872–1916), British naval officerDarren Cowley (born 1976), English former cricketerEdward Cowley, New Zealand-Samoan facilitator, entertainer and drag queenElizabeth Jill Cowley (born 1940), British botanistElwood Cowley (born 1944), Canadian former educator and politicianErn Cowley (1892–unknown), Australian rules footballerFrancis Cowley (born 1957), English former professional footballerGarrick Cowley (born 1982), British rugby playerGillian Cowley (born 1955), Zimbabwean hockey playerHannah Cowley (1743–1809), English dramatist and poetHannah Cowley (artist) (born 1984), British actress and directorHarry Cowley (1890–1971), British social activistJack Cowley (1877–1926), English footballerJames Cowley (1919–2009), British soldierJason Cowley (born 1966), British journalist, magazine editor and writerJerry Cowley (born 1952), Irish barrister, doctor and politicianJoe Cowley (baseball), (born 1958), American former professional baseball playerJoe Cowley, American journalistJohn Cowley (disambiguation)Joy Cowley (born 1936), New Zealand novelistLeonard Philip Cowley (1913–1973), American Roman Catholic bishopMalcolm Cowley (1898–1989), American novelistMario Coyula Cowley, Cuban architect and architectural historianMatthew Cowley (1897–1953), American missionary and Mormon leaderMatthias F. Cowley (1858–1940), American Mormon leaderMichael Cowley, Australian physiologistMichelle B. Cowley (born 1980), Social StatisticianNeil Cowley (born 1972), British jazz pianistNigel Cowley (born 1953), English former county cricketerPeter Cowley, British jump racing Champion Jockey (1908)Patrick Cowley (1950–1982), American musicianPeggy Cowley (1890–1970), American landscape painterPhilip Cowley, British political scientistRichard Cowley (died 1619), English actorRichard Colley (c. 1690 – 1758), the grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, changed his surname to Wesley after he inherited estates from his cousin, Garret Wesley, in 1728Robert Cowley (judge) (c.1470–1546), English-born judge who was Master of the Rolls in IrelandRobert Cowley, American military historianRoger Cowley (born 1939), British physicistRussell Cowley (born 1983), British ice hockey playerSamuel P. Cowley (1899–1934), American FBI agentSarah Cowley (athlete) (born 1984), New Zealand track and field athleteSimon Cowley (cricketer) (born 1979), English former cricketerSimon Cowley (born 1980), Australian former breaststroke swimmerTerence Cowley (1928–2012), Australian cricket playerWalter Cowley (c.1500–1548), Irish lawyer and politicianWayne Cowley (born 1964), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player