Cobb
An old English surname that may come from a nickname for Jacob, though the word cob also had many other meanings in medieval English.
The #514 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,741 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Cobb is usually explained as a medieval English nickname or short form related to Jacob, via diminutive forms such as Cob or Cobbe. That makes it a patronymic surname in origin: essentially, "son of Cob" or "descendant of Cob." However, the common word cob had many meanings in English, and older writers noted that some families may have received the name independently from other senses of the word.
History
Cobb is found early in English records and later becomes established across several counties, especially in the Midlands and southeast. Nineteenth-century surname writers also linked some heraldic families of Cobb and Cobbe to local symbols or to the nickname Cob. In modern times the surname has remained especially familiar in England and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books pointed out that cob was once a remarkably versatile word in English, used for everything from a lump or small horse to a sea-gull and even a type of fish.
From the historical record
“cester, Leicester, Lincoln, Sussex, York, &c. COBB. There is perhaps no monosyl- lable in any language that has so many distinct meanings as cob. It may he thought curious to enumerate them. As a VERB, it signifies, 1, to strike; 2, to pull the ear or hair ; 3, to throw ; and 4, to outdo. As a XOUN, it stands for —…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom