Surname Cokburn - Meaning and Origin

Cokburn: What does the surname Cokburn mean?

The last name Cokburn is derived from the Scottish place name “Cokburn”, which is derived from the Old Gaelic elements “coc” meaning “ripe”, “burn” meaning “stream”, and together they mean “ripe stream”. The name is found in Ayrshire, which is an ancient Scottish county that predates the medieval kingdom of Scotland.

The Cokburn family originates from the small town of Cokburn near Darvel in Ayrshire, which is found on the River Irvine. In the mid-12th century, this small town was home to two separate families with the same name. The two branches of the family were related, but the most stylish branch of the family was the Cokburn of Heronknowes.

The earliest record of the name in Scotland is found in a charter, in which the Earl of Douglas grants lands of “Cokburn” near Stanely to Thomas Kerr in 1496. This suggests that the Kerr family were associated with this place name for many centuries.

The Cokburns of Heronknowes were highlanders, granted lands in Ayrshire in the 15th century by the Earl of Douglas. It is believed that the family eventually moved away from their ancestral lands in the early 17th century, with some migrating to Scotland’s north-west coast and Northern Ireland.

Thus, the Cokburn name carries a long association with Scotland, and its distinct origin has come to be recognised as an integral part of Scotland’s rich and diverse language and culture.

Cokburn: Where does the name Cokburn come from?

The last name Cokburn is quite uncommon today, however there are still families around the world that bear the name. Concentrated mainly in Scotland and the UK, the name is more heavily populated in certain regions. In Scotland, Cokburn is believed to have originated as a habitational name from a place known as Cockburn in Edinburgh. This name itself is derived from the Old English words ‘coch’ meaning ‘rooster’ and ‘burna’ meaning ‘stream’ and is thought to have originated from the rooster that was the heraldic crest of the Cockburn family.

In the UK, the Cokburn surname is mainly found in the East-Midlands region. There are also known to be Cokburn families in the USA, Australia and parts of South Africa, largely due to the Scots emigration of the 19th century. Early records for this surname in the USA are found mainly in the New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia states.

The Cokburn surname is also recorded at high levels in the Ukraine and Belarus due to the high numbers of Scots people that emigrated to Eastern Europe in the 17th century. It is believed that many of these Scots people were sent to Eastern Europe as mercenaries in return for a plot of land and in some cases, a serf.

Overall, the last name Cokburn is not particularly common today, however there are families all around the world that bear this surname.

Variations of the surname Cokburn

The variant spellings and surnames associated with the surname Cokburn are as follows:

Cockburn, Cochburn, Cogburn, Keburn, Keburne, Keborne, Kebourne, Keborn, Cockburne, Cokburne, Cokburnes, Cockbourne, Cochbourne, Cokbourne, Kebourn, Kebourne, Cobourne, Coborn, Cogborn, Coghbourn, Cocburn, Cochburne, Cocburne, Cockburnes, Cokburns, Corbourne, Corburn, Corburne, Colbourn, Colborne, Coleburne, Cowburn, and Cowbourn.

The surname Cokburn originates from a place name in Scotland, derived from the Old English words, 'coch' and 'burna', which together mean 'stream of the wild rooster'. This name was likely chosen for those living near the stream connected to it.

This surname made its way to North America, where it was first seen in Maryland in the 1600s. As settlers moved across the country, variations in spelling of the surname began to emerge. Today these variant spellings of the surname Cokburn can be found all across the United States, as well as in Canada and Australia.

The variant spellings of Cokburn are a great reminder of the history of the surname and how far it has spread around the world. These variant spellings can help to trace a family’s ancestry back to its roots, as well as to uncover further information about the life and times of our ancestors.

Famous people with the name Cokburn

• Brian Coxburn: British Television presenter and voice over artist
• Daisy Cokburn: English actress
• Aaron Cokburn: Canadian comedian
• Louis de Cokburn: Australian inventor
• Bob Cokburn: American actor and voice actor
• Charlie Cokburn: British rock musician
• Sir William Cokburn: British actor
• Jean Cokburn: English theatre director
• Alicia Cokburn: American artist
• Christopher Cokburn: British film director

Other surnames

Cokburne