Find out how popular the last name Cobb is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cobb.

Cobb, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cobb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cobb in America

Cobb is the 514th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cobb surname appeared 65,125 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Cobb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cobb to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cobb

The surname COBB is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cob" meaning a rounded hill or headland. It first appeared in the 11th century and was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived on or near a rounded hill or coastal headland.

The earliest known bearer of the name was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Robert Cob was listed as a landowner in Somerset. This suggests that the name was already established in the southwest of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname was also found in various place names, such as Cobbescroft (now known as Cobcroft) in Sussex, and Cobbesheye (now Cobshey) in Kent. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname COBB was Sir John Cobb, who lived in the late 14th century and was a member of the gentry in Somerset. Another notable bearer was Sir William Cobb, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1593.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in various court records and parish registers, including those of Jeremiah Cobb (1626-1703), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, and Samuel Cobb (1668-1713), who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Other notable individuals with the surname COBB include:

1. Howell Cobb (1815-1868), an American political figure who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Treasury under President James Buchanan.
2. Ty Cobb (1886-1961), one of the greatest baseball players of all time, who played for the Detroit Tigers and held several batting records.
3. Lee J. Cobb (1911-1976), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "On the Waterfront" and "The Exorcist".
4. Carolyn Cobb (born 1944), an American mathematician and computer scientist, known for her work in computational geometry and computer graphics.
5. Rachel Cobb (born 1972), a British writer and journalist, best known for her book "Trapped: Modern-Day Slavery in the Brazilian Amazon".

While the surname COBB has its roots in England and initially referred to geographical features, it has since spread worldwide and been borne by many notable individuals across various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cobb

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cobb.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cobb was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cobb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cobb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cobb, please contact us.

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