2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cockeram
An English surname thought to derive from "cock" and "cram," possibly referring to a keeper of gamecocks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cockeram. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cockeram surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cockeram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cockeram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockeram, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cockeram
The surname COCKERAM is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cocc" or "coc," meaning "cock" or "rooster," and "ærn," meaning "dwelling" or "house," suggesting a possible connection to a place name or occupation related to keeping or breeding roosters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COCKERAM can be found in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Aldgate, London, from the year 1587, where a certain Henry Cockeram is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established in the city of London by that time.
In the 17th century, the COCKERAM surname appears in various historical documents, such as the 1642 manuscript "The English Dictionarie, or, An Interpreter of Hard English Words," authored by Henry COCKERAM. This work is considered one of the earliest dictionaries of the English language, indicating that the COCKERAM family had achieved a level of scholarly prominence by that period.
Notable individuals with the COCKERAM surname throughout history include:
1. Henry COCKERAM (c. 1592 - c. 1668), the aforementioned author of "The English Dictionarie."
2. William COCKERAM (fl. 1623 - 1669), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. John COCKERAM (1679 - 1736), a English clergyman and author who published sermons and theological treatises.
4. Thomas COCKERAM (1755 - 1828), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a magistrate in Kent, England.
5. Edward COCKERAM (1809 - 1880), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. Barnabas Church in Pimlico.
While the COCKERAM surname is not as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with notable figures in fields such as literature, religion, and architecture contribute to the rich tapestry of English surname heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cockeram
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockeram, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cockeram bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cockeram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cockeram
Cockeram appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+19 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,991 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-22 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 7,991 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 20,380 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cockeram surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #150,205 | -15.7% |
| Count | 131 | 109 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cockeram bearers went from 131 to 109 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 20,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cockeram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cockeram?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cockeram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cockeram?
Cockeram ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Cockeram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cockeram.
Has Cockeram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cockeram went from 131 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cockeram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockeram, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cockeram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cockeram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cockeram (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cockeram mean?
An English surname thought to derive from "cock" and "cram," possibly referring to a keeper of gamecocks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cockeram (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Cockeram?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Cockeram is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.