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

Cottingham, 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 Cottingham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cottingham in America

Cottingham is the 7868th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cottingham surname appeared 4,206 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 Cottingham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cottingham 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 Cottingham

The surname Cottingham is of English origin, originating from the village of Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words "cot" meaning a small dwelling or cottage, and "ham" meaning a homestead or village. The earliest recorded spelling of the place name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cotingaham".

In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Cotyngham". Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Cottingham. The name first appeared as a surname in the late 12th century, referring to someone who hailed from the village of Cottingham.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Robert de Cottingham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1198. Another early record is that of William de Cottingham, who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1286.

During the medieval period, the Cottingham family held lands and properties in the East Riding of Yorkshire. In the 16th century, George Cottingham (1520-1591) was a notable English Protestant reformer and theologian.

Sir John Cottingham (1549-1628) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1623 to 1628. He played a significant role in the judicial proceedings against Sir Walter Raleigh.

Another noteworthy figure was John Cottingham (1615-1701), an English philosopher and mathematician who made contributions to the field of optics and was a member of the Royal Society.

In the 19th century, James Cottingham (1819-1891) was a renowned English architect and designer, known for his work on Regency and Gothic Revival buildings. One of his most famous works is the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, completed in 1848.

Lastly, the British philosopher and author, John Cottingham (born 1943), is a prominent figure in modern times. He is a former Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading and has written extensively on the philosophy of religion and ethics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cottingham

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

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

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

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