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

Cothran, 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 Cothran surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cothran in America

Cothran is the 8277th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cothran surname appeared 4,005 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 Cothran.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cothran 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 Cothran

The surname Cothran has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cot" meaning a small house or cottage, and "hran" referring to a roe deer or small animal. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to someone who lived in a small dwelling near an area populated by roe deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cothran can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Cotran" in this historical document, indicating its presence in England during the Norman era.

In the 13th century, records show a William Cothran who was a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. Another early reference is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which lists a Robert Cothran as a taxpayer.

The Cothran surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Cothran Farm in Gloucestershire and Cothran Hall in Lancashire. These place names likely evolved from the original surname, reflecting the family's presence and influence in those particular areas.

One notable individual bearing the Cothran surname was John Cothran (1585-1647), who was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, one of the earliest legislative bodies in the American colonies.

Another prominent figure was William Cothran (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Naval General Service Medal for his services.

In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the contribution of Charles Cothran (1798-1863), an American author and poet who published several works, including "Poems on Various Subjects" and "The Poetical Remains of Charles Cothran."

The name Cothran has also been associated with military service, with John Cothran (1837-1915) being a Union Army soldier who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle.

Furthermore, the Cothran surname has been carried by individuals in various professions, such as James Cothran (1827-1902), who was a prominent lawyer and judge in South Carolina during the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cothran

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!