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

Cooks, 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 Cooks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cooks in America

Cooks is the 5640th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cooks surname appeared 6,157 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cooks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cooks 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 Cooks

The surname Cooks has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "coc," meaning a professional cook or chef. This occupational surname initially referred to those who worked as cooks or chefs, often in households of nobility or in monastic communities.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Cooks can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "le Cok." Similar spellings, such as "le Kok" and "le Koke," were also documented in various medieval records across England.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name is not explicitly mentioned, but there are references to individuals with the occupation of "cocus" or "coquus," which translates to "cook" in Latin. This suggests that the surname likely originated from these occupational titles.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Cooks was John Coke, who lived in Lincolnshire in the late 13th century. Another notable individual was Sir Thomas Coke (1548-1625), a prominent English jurist and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 16th century, the surname Cooks was sometimes associated with place names, such as Cooke's Farm in Gloucestershire or Cook's Green in Essex. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname in those regions.

Other notable individuals with the surname Cooks include:

1. Thomas Cooke (1807-1892), an English manufacturer and philanthropist who founded the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son.
2. Samuel Cooke (1731-1810), an English navigator and cartographer who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyages.
3. Alistair Cooke (1908-2004), a renowned British-American journalist and broadcaster known for his long-running radio program "Letter from America."
4. John Cooke (c. 1610-1695), an English settler who was one of the founders of the town of Windsor, Connecticut, in the United States.
5. Peter Cooke (1926-2005), an English actor and comedian, best known for his work with Dudley Moore and as part of the comedy duo Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

While the surname Cooks is now found globally, it remains most prevalent in England and countries with historical British connections, reflecting its English origins and occupational roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cooks

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

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

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

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