Cotton
A nature name referring to the soft, white fibrous substance.
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the first name Cotton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cotton today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cotton births was 2015 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cotton. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
485
~ 1 in 706,710 Americans
Peak year
2015
31 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,427
Tracked since 1918
Census
Cotton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 497 people with the first name Cotton, which placed it at #20,692 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,692
National first-name rank
People counted
497
497 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cotton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cotton is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cotton described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cotton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 411
- Black or African American6.0% · 30
- Two or more races4.8% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
Popularity
Cotton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cotton from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 210 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cotton by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cotton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cottons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cotton
The name Cotton is an English given name derived from the Old English word "cotun" or "coten", which referred to the soft, fibrous material produced by the cotton plant. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for those involved in the cultivation or trade of cotton during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of Cotton as a first name dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in historical records and parish registers in various parts of England. It was initially more common as a surname, but over time, it transitioned into a given name as well.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Cotton was Cotton Mather, an influential Puritan minister and author born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1663. He played a significant role in the infamous Salem Witch Trials and wrote numerous books on religious and scientific topics.
Another historical figure with the name Cotton was Cotton Tufts, an American physician and philanthropist born in 1734. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and helped establish Tufts University, which bears his name.
In the 19th century, Cotton Whitted, an American pioneer and settler born in 1801, was instrumental in the development of the American West. He led wagon trains along the Oregon Trail and helped establish several settlements in the Pacific Northwest.
Cotton Malone, a fictional character created by author Steve Berry, is a former CIA agent and antiquities dealer who appears in several of Berry's historical thriller novels. Although a fictional character, Malone's adventures often intersect with real historical events and figures.
Cotton Edmunds, born in 1892, was an American baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians during the early 20th century. He had a successful career as a pitcher and was known for his exceptional control and ability to throw a curveball.
While the name Cotton may have origins in the textile industry, it has evolved over time to represent a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds and professions. Its historical significance and enduring presence in literature and popular culture highlight its unique and enduring appeal.
People
Cotton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cotton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cotton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cotton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 485 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cotton going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 706,710 US residents.
Is Cotton a common name?
We classify Cotton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 497 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cotton most popular?
The single biggest year for Cotton was 2015, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cotton is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cotton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 497 people with the name Cotton, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,692 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cotton in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cotton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cotton leans strongly male. 413 people counted with this name were male (86.0%), compared with 67 female bearers (14.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cotton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cotton is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cotton most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cotton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (411 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cotton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cotton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cotton in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cotton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cotton in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cotton can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Cotton?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Cotton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.