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

Cockrum, 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 Cockrum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cockrum in America

Cockrum is the 13219th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cockrum surname appeared 2,312 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cockrum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cockrum 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 Cockrum

The surname Cockrum originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cocc" and "rum," which translate to "a rooster" and "a place or dwelling," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who resided near a location associated with roosters or poultry farming.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1292, where a person named William Cokram is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were present in parts of northern England during the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Cokrom" and "Cokrame," can be found in various medieval documents from counties like Lancashire and Lincolnshire. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

The Cockrum surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is William Cockrum (1571-1628), an English clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Redgrave, Suffolk, during the early 17th century.

Another prominent figure was John Cockrum (1679-1753), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Wiltshire, whose estate and property dealings are well-documented in historical records from the 18th century.

In the realm of literature, Samuel Cockrum (1795-1867), a poet and writer from Staffordshire, gained recognition for his works celebrating the beauty of the English countryside and rural life.

The Cockrum name has also been linked to places, as evidenced by the existence of Cockrum's Mill, a former water-powered mill located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, which was operated by members of the Cockrum family in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

During the American Revolutionary War, a soldier named James Cockrum (1760-1836) served in the Virginia militia and participated in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.

While the Cockrum surname may not be as widely prevalent as some other English surnames, its origins and historical references demonstrate its deep-rooted presence in various regions of England, as well as its eventual spread to other parts of the world through migration and settlement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cockrum

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

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

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

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