2000
#7,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Cothran
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Oireachtaigh," meaning "son of Oireachtach," a personal name meaning "member of the assembly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,195 Americans carry the last name Cothran. That puts it at #8,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cothran 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
4.2K
1 in 81,705
Census rank
#8,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,658 bearers of the surname Cothran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothran, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name appears as "Cotran" in this historical document, indicating its presence in England during the Norman era.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cothran
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothran, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cothran 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 Cothran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 3,035
- Black or African American9.0% · 330
- Two or more races3.8% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cothran
Cothran 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
#8,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,005
+85 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#8,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,658
-347 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,833 | 3,920 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,277 | 4,005 | 1.36 | +85 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #8,616 | 3,658 | 1.22 | -347 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 339 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 Cothran 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 | #8,277 | #8,616 | -4.1% |
| Count | 4,005 | 3,658 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.22 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cothran bearers went from 4,005 to 3,658 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 339 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,277 to #8,616.
FAQ
Cothran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cothran?
Name Census estimates that about 4,195 living Americans carry the surname Cothran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,705 residents.
How common is Cothran?
Cothran ranks #8,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,658 people with the surname Cothran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,195), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Cothran.
Has Cothran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cothran went from 4,005 recorded bearers to 3,658. That is a decrease of 347 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,277 to #8,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Cothran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cothran, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Cothran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (3,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cothran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Cothran (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 Cothran mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Oireachtaigh," meaning "son of Oireachtach," a personal name meaning "member of the assembly." 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 Cothran (1.22 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 Cothran?
Find out how many people have the last name Cothran on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.