2000
#13,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Cothern
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cottage on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,116 Americans carry the last name Cothern. That puts it at #15,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,982 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cothern 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
2.1K
1 in 161,982
Census rank
#15,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,845 bearers of the surname Cothern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cothern
The surname Cothern has its origins in England, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cothirde," which referred to a cottager or a small farmer who resided in a cottage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Godwinus Cothirde" is listed as a tenant in the county of Somerset.
Throughout the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Cotheren, Cotheryn, Cotherin, and Cothren. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during those times.
The earliest known bearer of the surname was Robert Cotheren, born in 1325 in the village of Cotheren, located in the county of Gloucestershire. This village likely served as the source of the family name, with the surname evolving from the place name over time.
In the 15th century, records show a John Cothern, born in 1442 in the town of Cothern, Wiltshire. He is mentioned in local parish records as a respected landowner and member of the community.
Another notable figure was Sir William Cothern, born in 1521 in the town of Cothern, Dorset. He was a prominent military commander who served in the English armies during the Wars of the Roses and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
During the 16th century, the surname gained recognition with the birth of Thomas Cothern, born in 1587 in the village of Cothern, Somerset. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his works on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the name is associated with John Cothern, born in 1642 in the town of Cothern, Gloucestershire. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to carry the name forward in the region.
As the centuries progressed, the Cothern surname spread to different parts of England and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from their ancestral homelands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cothern
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cothern 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 Cothern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 1,660
- Two or more races5.0% · 93
- Black or African American2.4% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cothern
Cothern 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
#14,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,000
+15 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 881 places
2020
#15,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,845
-155 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 494 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,943 | 1,985 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,824 | 2,000 | 0.68 | +15 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 881 places |
| 2020 | #15,318 | 1,845 | 0.62 | -155 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 494 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 Cothern 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 | #14,824 | #15,318 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,000 | 1,845 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cothern bearers went from 2,000 to 1,845 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 494 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,824 to #15,318.
FAQ
Cothern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cothern?
Name Census estimates that about 2,116 living Americans carry the surname Cothern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,982 residents.
How common is Cothern?
Cothern ranks #15,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,845 people with the surname Cothern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cothern.
Has Cothern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cothern went from 2,000 recorded bearers to 1,845. That is a decrease of 155 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,824 to #15,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Cothern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothern, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (2.4%). 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 Cothern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (1,660 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cothern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (2.4%). 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 Cothern (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 Cothern mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cottage on a hill" in Old English. 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 Cothern (0.62 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 Cothern?
You can see how many people have the surname Cothern on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.