2000
#3,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.48
Uncommon Last name
Cockrell
An English occupational surname for a breeder or keeper of roosters and cockerels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,155 Americans carry the last name Cockrell. That puts it at #3,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,752 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cockrell 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 Cockrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,752
Census rank
#3,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,856 bearers of the surname Cockrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cockrell
The surname Cockrell is an English habitational name derived from the Old English words "cocc" meaning a small hill or hillock, and "hyll" meaning a hill. It originated in the medieval period and is believed to have first appeared in various areas of central England, particularly in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Cockrell dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Cocherell" in the county of Derbyshire. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, with variations such as Cockrell, Cockerill, and Cockerell.
In the 13th century, a man named John Cockrell was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Staffordshire in 1212. Another early record is that of William Cockerell, who was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire in 1327.
The name Cockrell is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is William Cockrell (c. 1571-1628), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Stow in Lincolnshire.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir John Cockerill (1787-1849), a pioneering industrialist and engineer from Belgium who established the famous Cockerill Company, a major manufacturer of machinery and weapons.
In the United States, Francis Marion Cockrell (1834-1915) was a prominent politician and military officer who served as a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War and later as a United States Senator from Missouri.
The name Cockrell has also been associated with places, such as Cockrell Hill, a city in Dallas County, Texas, which was named after the Cockrell family who settled in the area in the 19th century.
Over the centuries, the surname Cockrell has spread across various regions and countries, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields, including religion, industry, politics, and military endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cockrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cockrell 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 Cockrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 6,264
- Black or African American21.0% · 1,860
- Two or more races4.5% · 399
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 233
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cockrell
Cockrell 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
#3,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,465
+68 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 3.21
Rank movement Down 267 places
2020
#3,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,856
-609 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.96
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,477 | 9,397 | 3.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,744 | 9,465 | 3.21 | +68 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 267 places |
| 2020 | #3,896 | 8,856 | 2.96 | -609 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 152 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 Cockrell 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 | #3,744 | #3,896 | -4.1% |
| Count | 9,465 | 8,856 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.21 | 2.96 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cockrell bearers went from 9,465 to 8,856 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,744 to #3,896.
FAQ
Cockrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cockrell?
Name Census estimates that about 10,155 living Americans carry the surname Cockrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,752 residents.
How common is Cockrell?
Cockrell ranks #3,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,856 people with the surname Cockrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cockrell.
Has Cockrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cockrell went from 9,465 recorded bearers to 8,856. That is a decrease of 609 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,744 to #3,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Cockrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cockrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (6,264 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cockrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (21.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cockrell (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 Cockrell mean?
An English occupational surname for a breeder or keeper of roosters and cockerels. 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 Cockrell (2.96 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 many people have the last name Cockrell?
You can see how many people have the last name Cockrell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.