2000
#11,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Cotner
One who lives in a cottage, from Old English "cot" meaning a small, humble dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,752 Americans carry the last name Cotner. That puts it at #12,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,547 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cotner 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
2.8K
1 in 124,547
Census rank
#12,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,400 bearers of the surname Cotner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cotner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cotner
The surname Cotner has its origins in the northern regions of Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German word "kot," which referred to a small homestead or cottage. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Kotenere," found in records dating back to the 13th century in the region of Saxony.
One of the first notable mentions of the Cotner name can be found in the Bremische Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, where a certain Johann Cotner is listed as a landowner in the year 1412. This suggests that the name had already established itself in northern Germany by the early 15th century.
As the centuries passed, the Cotner name spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Kottner," "Kohtner," and "Cottner" emerging in different localities. The name was also found in records from the neighboring regions of the Netherlands and Denmark, indicating the migration patterns of those bearing the surname.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Cotner name in the English-speaking world can be traced back to John Cotner, who was born in Prussia in 1721 and later immigrated to the American colonies, settling in Pennsylvania. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the United States, contributing to the spread of the name across the country.
Another notable figure associated with the Cotner surname was Wilhelm Cotner (1799-1876), a German-born industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in the Ruhr region of Germany. His business ventures and innovations helped establish Cotner as a prominent name in the realms of industry and commerce.
Other notable individuals with the Cotner surname include:
1. Karl Cotner (1859-1922), a German-American engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of early automobiles.
2. Elizabeth Cotner (1873-1947), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who served as the president of the National Association of College Women.
3. Johann Cotner (1612-1688), a German Lutheran theologian and writer, known for his influential works on religious doctrine.
4. Hans Cotner (1501-1567), a German Renaissance painter and printmaker, whose works are celebrated for their intricate details and vivid colors.
While the Cotner surname may have originated in northern Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals and families who have contributed to various fields and left their mark on the cultural and historical tapestry of numerous societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cotner
Among Census respondents with the surname Cotner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cotner 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 Cotner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 2,109
- Two or more races4.0% · 97
- Black or African American3.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cotner
Cotner 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
#11,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,677
+77 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 521 places
2020
#12,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,400
-277 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 651 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,188 | 2,600 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,709 | 2,677 | 0.91 | +77 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 521 places |
| 2020 | #12,360 | 2,400 | 0.80 | -277 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 651 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 Cotner 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 | #11,709 | #12,360 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,677 | 2,400 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.80 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cotner bearers went from 2,677 to 2,400 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 651 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,709 to #12,360.
FAQ
Cotner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cotner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,752 living Americans carry the surname Cotner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,547 residents.
How common is Cotner?
Cotner ranks #12,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,400 people with the surname Cotner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Cotner.
Has Cotner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cotner went from 2,677 recorded bearers to 2,400. That is a decrease of 277 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,709 to #12,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Cotner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cotner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Cotner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (2,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cotner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (3.3%). 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 Cotner (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 Cotner mean?
One who lives in a cottage, from Old English "cot" meaning a small, humble dwelling. 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 Cotner (0.80 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 Cotner?
See how many people have the last name Cotner on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.