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

Cottrell, 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 Cottrell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cottrell in America

Cottrell is the 2141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cottrell surname appeared 16,930 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Cottrell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cottrell 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cottrell

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

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

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

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