NameCensus.

UK surname

Cockeram

An English surname thought to derive from "cock" and "cram," possibly referring to a keeper of gamecocks.

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Cockeram surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Peter, Duffield and Tamworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, Tamworth and Newport.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cockeram is 188 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.9%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

1911

188 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cockeram had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 188 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Cockeram surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cockeram surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cockeram 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 90 #18,317
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 163 #17,205
1911 historical 188 #15,550
1997 modern 158 #20,422
1998 modern 159 #20,916
1999 modern 161 #20,868
2000 modern 164 #20,584
2001 modern 154 #21,122
2002 modern 152 #21,723
2003 modern 153 #21,406
2004 modern 151 #21,720
2005 modern 148 #21,961
2006 modern 144 #22,520
2007 modern 146 #22,596
2008 modern 146 #22,822
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 144 #24,147
2011 modern 143 #24,056
2012 modern 147 #23,567
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 139 #25,093
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Cockerams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Peter, Duffield, Tamworth, Ibstock and St Werburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, Tamworth, Newport, North West Leicestershire and Derby. 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 St Peter Derbyshire
2 Duffield Derbyshire
3 Tamworth Staffordshire
4 Ibstock Leicestershire
5 St Werburgh Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 002 East Staffordshire
2 Tamworth 004 Tamworth
3 Newport 006 Newport
4 North West Leicestershire 013 North West Leicestershire
5 Derby 026 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cockeram

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cockeram

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cockeram, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Cockeram surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cockeram household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Cockeram is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cockeram is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cockeram falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cockeram is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cockeram

The surname COCKERAM is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cocc" or "coc," meaning "cock" or "rooster," and "ærn," meaning "dwelling" or "house," suggesting a possible connection to a place name or occupation related to keeping or breeding roosters.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COCKERAM can be found in the parish records of St. Botolph's Church in Aldgate, London, from the year 1587, where a certain Henry Cockeram is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established in the city of London by that time.

In the 17th century, the COCKERAM surname appears in various historical documents, such as the 1642 manuscript "The English Dictionarie, or, An Interpreter of Hard English Words," authored by Henry COCKERAM. This work is considered one of the earliest dictionaries of the English language, indicating that the COCKERAM family had achieved a level of scholarly prominence by that period.

Notable individuals with the COCKERAM surname throughout history include:

1. Henry COCKERAM (c. 1592 - c. 1668), the aforementioned author of "The English Dictionarie." 2. William COCKERAM (fl. 1623 - 1669), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. 3. John COCKERAM (1679 - 1736), a English clergyman and author who published sermons and theological treatises. 4. Thomas COCKERAM (1755 - 1828), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a magistrate in Kent, England. 5. Edward COCKERAM (1809 - 1880), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. Barnabas Church in Pimlico.

While the COCKERAM surname is not as common today as it once was, its historical roots and associations with notable figures in fields such as literature, religion, and architecture contribute to the rich tapestry of English surname heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cockeram families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cockeram 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. Derbyshire leads with 52 Cockerams recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.33x.

County Total Index
Derbyshire 52 24.33x
Devon 24 8.44x
Yorkshire 17 1.26x
Warwickshire 10 2.90x
Staffordshire 9 1.95x
Dorset 8 8.93x
Nottinghamshire 8 4.35x
Surrey 5 0.75x
Berkshire 1 0.98x
Hertfordshire 1 1.06x
Kent 1 0.21x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Norfolk 1 0.48x
Somerset 1 0.46x
Wiltshire 1 0.83x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Coldridge in Devon leads with 17 Cockerams recorded in 1881 and an index of 7727.27x.

Place Total Index
Coldridge 17 7727.27x
Bolehall Glascote 10 684.93x
Holbrook 9 1875.00x
Derby St Peter 8 117.47x
Nottingham St Mary 8 16.81x
Brailsford 6 2000.00x
Derby St Werburgh 6 48.62x
Biddulph 5 192.31x
Farnley In Bramley 5 295.86x
Hepworth 5 909.09x
Kirk Langley 5 1562.50x
Melcombe Regis 5 134.77x
South Milford 5 1020.41x
Streatham 5 49.36x
Castle Church 4 144.40x
Darley 4 465.12x
Belper 3 72.46x
Derby St Alkmund 3 46.80x
Exeter St Sidwell 3 46.08x
Derby All Sts 2 111.73x
Rodsley 2 3333.33x
West Knighton 2 1333.33x
Butterleigh 1 1666.67x
Buxton 1 55.25x
Chirton 1 625.00x
Down St Mary 1 666.67x
Duffield 1 59.52x
Earley 1 58.48x
East Farleigh 1 128.21x
Frome St Quintin 1 1111.11x
Great Munden 1 476.19x
Kingsdon 1 625.00x
Litchurch 1 11.63x
Pendleton In Salford 1 5.18x
Sherburn 1 90.09x
Shirley 1 909.09x
Tadcaster West 1 93.46x
Tedburn St Mary 1 333.33x
Trowse Cum Newton 1 192.31x
Withycombe Rawleigh 1 67.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 11
Ann 7
Emma 3
Catherine 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Cecily 1
Elisth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Jessie 1
Lilian 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maud 1
May 1
Milicent 1
Phebe 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
James 6
Samuel 6
John 5
George 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Francis 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Ralph 2
Robert 2
Saml. 2
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Frank 1
Israel 1
Richard 1
Sydney 1
Willm.Marchant 1

FAQ

Cockeram surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cockeram surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Cockeram surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cockeram surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Cockeram a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Cockeram surname mean?

An English surname thought to derive from "cock" and "cram," possibly referring to a keeper of gamecocks.

What does the Cockeram map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cockeram 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.