2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cockren
A surname likely derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a rooster pen or coop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Cockren. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cockren 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.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Cockren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockren, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Black (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cockren
The surname Cockren is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties such as Yorkshire and Lancashire, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cocc" meaning a small hill or hillock, and "ren" which referred to a path or stream. Therefore, the name may have been a topographic descriptor for someone who lived near a hill with a stream or path running through it.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cockren can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire from the year 1348, where a Robert Cockren is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the medieval period, such as the Subsidy Rolls and the Pipe Rolls, with various spellings like Cockren, Cockren, and Cockraine.
In the 16th century, the Cockren family is known to have held lands and properties in the village of Masham, in North Yorkshire. A notable member of this family was John Cockren, who was born in 1562 and served as a member of the local gentry and a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Another prominent figure with the surname Cockren was William Cockren, who lived in the late 17th century and was a prominent merchant and ship owner in the city of Bristol. His descendants continued to be involved in maritime trade and commerce in the Bristol area for several generations.
During the 18th century, the Cockren name can be found in various parish records and census records across northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. One noteworthy individual from this period was Thomas Cockren, born in 1719, who was a successful farmer and landowner in the village of Sedbergh, in the Yorkshire Dales.
In the 19th century, the Cockren surname spread more widely across England, with families bearing this name also found in the Midlands and southern counties. A notable figure from this era was James Cockren, born in 1823 in the town of Whitby, Yorkshire. He became a renowned maritime artist and painter, known for his detailed and realistic depictions of ships and seascapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cockren
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockren, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Black (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cockren 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 Cockren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 13
- Black or African American10.6% · 12
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cockren
Cockren appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,020 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 Cockren 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 | #146,201 | #147,221 | -0.7% |
| Count | 113 | 113 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cockren bearers went from 113 to 113 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,221.
FAQ
Cockren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cockren?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Cockren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Cockren?
Cockren ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Cockren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Cockren.
Has Cockren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cockren went from 113 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Cockren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cockren, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.5%) and Black (10.6%). 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 Cockren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cockren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Hispanic (11.5%), Black (10.6%). 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 Cockren (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 Cockren mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name referring to someone who lived near a rooster pen or coop. 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 Cockren (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 many people have the last name Cockren?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Cockren is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.