Cochrane
A surname usually linked to a place name in Renfrewshire, Scotland, long associated with the Cochrane family and the earls of Dundonald.
The #4,246 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,953 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is generally treated as locational, probably from a place in the Paisley area of Renfrewshire. Older references connect it with the long-established Cochrane family there, and some 19th-century writers relate it to Cockburn or nearby place-names of the district. The deeper place-name elements are not fully certain, so the surname is best understood as a Scottish local name rather than a transparent word meaning.
History
The Cochrane family is recorded in Renfrewshire for many centuries, and the name became especially prominent through the earls of Dundonald. Spelling variants such as Cochran and Cockrane appear in Irish and Scottish material, showing some later variation in written form. In North America, the surname spread through Scottish and Irish migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Cochrane family’s long association with Renfrewshire helped make the surname familiar far beyond its original local home.
From the historical record
“tion of Cockburn. COCHRANE. COCHRAN. The family were resident in co. Renfrew for many cen- turies. See Peerage, Earl of Dundouald. The name is probably local, from a place in the district of Paisley. COCK. The bird — corresj^onding to the Lat. Gallus, the Fr. Le Coq, Cochet, Coque- rel, the Germ. Hahn, &c.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom