2000
#2,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.04
Uncommon Last name
Cottrell
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of coats, cotehardies, or cottises.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,602 Americans carry the last name Cottrell. That puts it at #2,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cottrell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cottrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,426
Census rank
#2,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,222 bearers of the surname Cottrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cottrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cottrell
The surname Cottrell has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cotertl" or "coterel," meaning a small cottage or hut. These words were used to describe people who lived in small dwellings or cottages.
In ancient records, the name appears in various spellings, such as Cotterell, Coterell, and Cotterill. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a person named William Coterel.
The Cottrell surname was particularly common in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Some notable places associated with the name include Cottrell Park in Worcestershire and the village of Cottrell in Somerset.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Radulfus Cotrel is listed as a landowner in Somerset. This suggests that the name had already established itself by the late 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Cottrell surname. One of the earliest was Sir John Cottrell (circa 1370-1439), a Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of King Henry V. Another was Sir Charles Cottrell (1615-1701), an English courtier and diplomat who served as Master of the Ceremonies during the reigns of Charles II and James II.
In the 18th century, John Cottrell (1708-1789) was a prominent British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant-General and played a role in the Siege of Charleston in 1780.
Moving into the 19th century, William Cottrell (1815-1879) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former London Bridge Station and the Holborn Viaduct.
Lastly, Sir Clement Cottrell-Dormer (1828-1909) was a British politician and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1869 and was knighted in 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cottrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Cottrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cottrell 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 Cottrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 13,025
- Black or African American11.3% · 1,831
- Two or more races4.4% · 720
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 450
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cottrell
Cottrell 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
#2,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,930
+642 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.74
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#2,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,222
-708 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,043 | 16,288 | 6.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,141 | 16,930 | 5.74 | +642 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #2,187 | 16,222 | 5.43 | -708 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 46 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 Cottrell 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 | #2,141 | #2,187 | -2.1% |
| Count | 16,930 | 16,222 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.74 | 5.43 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cottrell bearers went from 16,930 to 16,222 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,141 to #2,187.
FAQ
Cottrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cottrell?
Name Census estimates that about 18,602 living Americans carry the surname Cottrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,426 residents.
How common is Cottrell?
Cottrell ranks #2,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,222 people with the surname Cottrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Cottrell.
Has Cottrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cottrell went from 16,930 recorded bearers to 16,222. That is a decrease of 708 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,141 to #2,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Cottrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cottrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Cottrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (13,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cottrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Cottrell (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 Cottrell mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of coats, cotehardies, or cottises. 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 Cottrell (5.43 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 Cottrell?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Cottrell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.