NameCensus.

UK surname

Cockburn

A Scottish place name derived from Old English for "the stream of the red cock or grouse".

In the 1881 census there were 3,844 people recorded with the Cockburn surname, ranking it #1,188 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,207, ranked #1,610, down from #1,188 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Berwickshire Central, Cheviot East and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cockburn is 4,538 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 9.4%.

1881 census count

3,844

Ranked #1,188

Modern count

4,207

2016, ranked #1,610

Peak year

1901

4,538 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cockburn had 3,844 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,188 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,207 in 2016, ranked #1,610.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,538 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cockburn surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cockburn surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cockburn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cockburn over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,567 #1,149
1861 historical 2,758 #1,061
1881 historical 3,844 #1,188
1891 historical 4,155 #1,159
1901 historical 4,538 #1,256
1911 historical 2,528 #2,018
1997 modern 4,253 #1,529
1998 modern 4,381 #1,539
1999 modern 4,405 #1,541
2000 modern 4,394 #1,538
2001 modern 4,286 #1,543
2002 modern 4,307 #1,563
2003 modern 4,201 #1,569
2004 modern 4,209 #1,567
2005 modern 4,149 #1,574
2006 modern 4,175 #1,567
2007 modern 4,190 #1,571
2008 modern 4,255 #1,558
2009 modern 4,336 #1,568
2010 modern 4,386 #1,588
2011 modern 4,333 #1,579
2012 modern 4,191 #1,600
2013 modern 4,243 #1,614
2014 modern 4,258 #1,617
2015 modern 4,218 #1,618
2016 modern 4,207 #1,610

Geography

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Where Cockburns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Berwickshire Central, Cheviot East, Northumberland, Coldstream and Area and IZ16. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Berwickshire Central Scottish Borders
2 Cheviot East Scottish Borders
3 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
4 Coldstream and Area Scottish Borders
5 IZ16 East Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cockburn

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cockburn surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cockburn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cockburn, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Cockburn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cockburn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cockburn is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cockburn is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cockburn falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cockburn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cockburn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cockburn

The surname Cockburn is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Scots dialect cok meaning "cock" and "burn" meaning "stream." It likely originated as a place name referring to a stream or burn where wild birds gathered. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 13th century, when Adam de Cokburne was listed in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Cokburne, Kokburn, and Cokburne in Scottish charters and records. The Cockburn family held lands in Berwickshire, East Lothian, and Midlothian, and played a prominent role in Scottish history.

One notable figure was Sir Alexander Cockburn of Langton, who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1856 to 1859. Another was Admiral Sir George Cockburn, known for his role in the Chesapeake Campaign during the War of 1812, where he ordered the burning of several towns and villages in the Chesapeake Bay region.

In the arts, the surname is associated with Alison Cockburn, an English poet and author born in 1712, and Claudine Cockburn, a British writer and activist born in 1917. The name also appears in Scottish military history with General Sir James Cockburn, born in 1728, who served as Governor of Gibraltar.

The Cockburn surname has also been found in various place names, such as Cockburnspath in Berwickshire and Cockburn Street in Edinburgh, reflecting the family's historical ties to these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cockburn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cockburn surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Northumberland leads with 547 Cockburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.86x.

County Total Index
Northumberland 547 9.86x
Durham 501 4.52x
Midlothian 488 9.77x
Berwickshire 294 65.14x
Lanarkshire 263 2.18x
Middlesex 179 0.48x
Yorkshire 164 0.44x
East Lothian 148 29.98x
Lancashire 137 0.31x
Aberdeenshire 127 3.68x
Roxburghshire 116 17.18x
Selkirkshire 91 26.99x
Renfrewshire 71 2.46x
Surrey 70 0.39x
Stirlingshire 63 4.58x
West Lothian 47 8.37x
Kent 41 0.32x
Angus 40 1.16x
Ayrshire 39 1.40x
Fife 35 1.59x
Sussex 34 0.54x
Dunbartonshire 31 3.09x
Hampshire 30 0.39x
Banffshire 26 3.36x
Essex 22 0.30x
Cumberland 18 0.56x
Peeblesshire 16 9.13x
Devon 15 0.19x
Wigtownshire 15 3.03x
Bedfordshire 14 0.73x
Dumfriesshire 14 1.70x
Perthshire 14 0.84x
Argyllshire 13 1.25x
Westmorland 12 1.46x
Herefordshire 8 0.52x
Inverness-shire 7 0.63x
Leicestershire 6 0.15x
Suffolk 6 0.13x
Norfolk 5 0.09x
Warwickshire 5 0.05x
Clackmannanshire 4 1.30x
Morayshire 4 0.69x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.08x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.13x
Gloucestershire 3 0.04x
Hertfordshire 3 0.12x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.56x
Radnorshire 3 1.00x
Staffordshire 3 0.02x
Berkshire 2 0.07x
Channel Islands 2 0.18x
Cheshire 2 0.02x
Royal Navy 2 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Buteshire 1 0.44x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.06x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Kinross-shire 1 1.06x
Northamptonshire 1 0.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.04x
Ross-shire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 216 Cockburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.75x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 216 10.75x
Berwick Upon Tweed 76 64.68x
Bishopwearmouth 70 7.35x
South Leith 65 11.57x
Govan 61 2.05x
Glasgow 60 2.80x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 52 15.70x
Barony 45 1.48x
Falkirk 45 13.98x
Tynemouth 42 14.14x
Coldingham 39 96.13x
Hamilton 36 10.71x
Linlithgow 36 50.01x
Byker 35 12.77x
Longbenton 35 14.90x
Galashiels 34 27.27x
Selkirk 34 35.79x
Paisley Low Church 32 35.00x
Tweedmouth 32 46.28x
Gateshead 29 3.49x
Ouston 28 173.05x
Dunse 27 63.07x
Paddington London 27 1.97x
Cockburnspath 26 180.18x
Kensington London 26 1.25x
Westoe 26 4.14x
Dunbar 25 36.12x
Fyvie 24 42.61x
Jesmond 24 30.76x
Melrose 23 27.10x
Islington London 22 0.61x
Kelso 22 32.70x
Dalkeith 21 21.32x
Hartlepool 21 13.32x
Tranent 21 31.48x
Ayton 20 76.39x
Everton 20 1.42x
Hutton 20 161.81x
Chirnside 19 98.24x
Conside Knitsley 19 22.04x
Cranston 19 149.25x
Haddington 19 26.07x
Monkwearmouth Shore 19 8.78x
Alnwick 18 18.88x
Bunkle Preston 18 193.97x
Elswick 18 4.07x
West Derby 18 1.39x
Bedlington 17 9.18x
Mordington 17 363.25x
Ramsgate 17 8.19x
Toxteth Park 17 1.14x
Bainbridge 16 183.70x
Cramond 16 42.28x
Linton 16 227.60x
St Pancras London 16 0.53x
Whittinghame 16 195.60x
Humbie 15 128.76x
Lofthouse 15 27.20x
Monquhitter 15 41.97x
Penicuik 15 22.11x
Greatham 14 148.94x
Liverpool 14 0.52x
Monkwearmouth 14 13.19x
Thornton Rust 14 769.23x
Aberdeen Old Machar 13 1.80x
Coldstream 13 39.80x
Dalserf 13 10.81x
Dawdon 13 9.53x
Edinburgh Canongate 13 10.23x
Edinburgh Greenside 13 19.70x
Edinburgh St Marys 13 13.39x
Edinburgh St Stephens 13 13.23x
Houghton Le Spring 13 16.96x
Sunderland Bridge 13 73.95x
Yetholm 13 97.52x
Abbey 12 2.72x
Cramlington 12 16.37x
Keith 12 14.56x
Langton 12 185.76x
Ormiston 12 91.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cockburn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 145
Jane 75
Margaret 64
Elizabeth 57
Isabella 51
Ann 50
Sarah 46
Ellen 34
Annie 25
Alice 23
Agnes 20
Hannah 16
Eliza 15
Catherine 14
Dorothy 13
Eleanor 12
Edith 10
Jessie 9
Ada 8
Emily 8
Florence 8
Anne 7
Caroline 7
Ethel 7
Martha 7
Emma 6
Maria 6
Frances 5
Louisa 5
Margt. 5
Susan 5
Charlotte 4
Fanny 4
Grace 4
Harriet 4
Lucy 4
Marion 4
Susannah 4
Bessie 3
Christina 3
Elizth. 3
Esther 3
Gertrude 3
Henrietta 3
Janet 3
Julia 3
Lizzie 3
Margret 3
Marian 3
Ruth 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cockburn surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 148
William 106
James 78
Thomas 63
George 62
Robert 52
Joseph 41
David 20
Charles 19
Henry 19
Edward 17
Richard 15
Alexander 14
Arthur 12
Mark 10
Walter 9
Peter 8
Thos. 8
Alfred 7
Samuel 7
Francis 6
Frederick 6
Wm. 6
Andrew 5
Bryan 5
Adam 4
Ernest 4
Geo. 4
Jno. 4
Matthew 4
Wilfred 4
Albert 3
Alex 3
Archibald 3
Benjamin 3
Christopher 3
Donald 3
Harry 3
Herbert 3
Jonathan 3
Philip 3
Ralph 3
Stephen 3
Chas. 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Jasper 2
Lawrence 2
Patrick 2
Edw.T. 1

FAQ

Cockburn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cockburn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,844 people were recorded with the Cockburn surname. That placed it at #1,188 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cockburn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,207 in 2016. That gives Cockburn a modern rank of #1,610.

What does the Cockburn surname mean?

A Scottish place name derived from Old English for "the stream of the red cock or grouse".

What does the Cockburn map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cockburn bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.