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

Cochran, 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 Cochran surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cochran in America

Cochran is the 567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cochran surname appeared 59,350 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 20 people would have the surname Cochran.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cochran 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 Cochran

The surname Cochran is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ochógan," meaning "descendant of the young one." The name is believed to have originated in the region of Ayrshire in southwestern Scotland during the early Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references in several Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Coughran, mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage renderings to King Edward I of England.

The surname Cochran is also linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Cochrane in Renfrewshire and Cochran in Dumfriesshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the connections between families and the lands they owned or occupied.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Cochran. One of the most prominent was Robert Cochran (c. 1440-1482), a Scottish courtier and favorite of King James III, who was eventually executed for treason. Another notable figure was Robert Cochran (1758-1826), a Scottish-American soldier and politician who served as a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War.

In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with the Scottish author William Cochrane (1605-1685), best known for his theological works. The name has also graced the pages of history through individuals like Sir Ralph Cochrane (1609-1680), a Scottish soldier and landowner, and Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1775-1860), a renowned British naval officer and radical politician.

Other notable bearers of the surname Cochran include Robert Cochran (1914-2006), an American film and television writer and producer known for his work on iconic shows like "The Fugitive" and "Columbo," and John Cochran (1813-1898), a Scottish-American chemist and geologist who served as the president of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cochran

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

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 Cochran 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 Cochran 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 Cochran was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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