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

Cogar, 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 Cogar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cogar in America

Cogar is the 11365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cogar surname appeared 2,776 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 Cogar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cogar 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 Cogar

The surname COGAR is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "comhgarach," which means "neighbor" or "near dweller." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near a particular landmark or location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COGAR can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears in this record as "Cogar," indicating that it was already in use by the late 13th century.

In the 15th century, the name COGAR appeared in the records of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which documented financial transactions and land holdings. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had established themselves as landowners or members of the Scottish gentry by this time.

One notable bearer of the COGAR surname was John Cogar, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He served as the minister of the parish of Kilmarnock and was known for his influential sermons and writings on religious matters.

Another historical figure with the COGAR surname was William Cogar, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. He was a supporter of the Jacobite cause and fought alongside the forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in the unsuccessful attempt to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British throne.

In the 18th century, the name COGAR appeared in the parish records of various Scottish regions, such as Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. This indicates that the name had spread across different parts of Scotland over the centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the COGAR surname in North America can be found in the records of the Scots-Irish immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 18th century. Some of these individuals may have been descendants of the Scottish COGAR families who had previously lived in Ulster, Ireland.

Another notable bearer of the COGAR surname was Alexander Cogar, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the early 19th century. He was known for his works celebrating Scottish culture and heritage, and his poems were widely published in literary journals of the time.

As the COGAR surname spread across different regions and countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Coger, Cogger, and Coggar. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic translations, and individual preferences in spelling.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cogar

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

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

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

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