NameCensus.

UK surname

Cook

An occupational surname referring to someone who prepared meals or worked in a kitchen.

In the 1881 census there were 59,467 people recorded with the Cook surname, ranking it #42 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 72,004, ranked #58, down from #42 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Braintree, West Lindsey and Torridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cook is 75,867 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.1%.

1881 census count

59,467

Ranked #42

Modern count

72,004

2016, ranked #58

Peak year

1999

75,867 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cook had 59,467 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #42 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 72,004 in 2016, ranked #58.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 71,361 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cook surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cook surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cook 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 41,718 #39
1861 historical 43,795 #40
1881 historical 59,467 #42
1891 historical 62,551 #46
1901 historical 71,361 #46
1911 historical 70,321 #44
1997 modern 72,930 #54
1998 modern 75,462 #54
1999 modern 75,867 #54
2000 modern 75,367 #54
2001 modern 73,322 #55
2002 modern 74,659 #55
2003 modern 72,614 #55
2004 modern 72,575 #54
2005 modern 70,915 #56
2006 modern 70,817 #57
2007 modern 71,050 #57
2008 modern 71,256 #57
2009 modern 72,777 #59
2010 modern 73,988 #59
2011 modern 73,067 #59
2012 modern 71,417 #59
2013 modern 72,696 #59
2014 modern 73,101 #59
2015 modern 72,372 #59
2016 modern 72,004 #58

Geography

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Where Cooks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Braintree, West Lindsey, Torridge, Sedgemoor and Suffolk Coastal. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Braintree 004 Braintree
2 West Lindsey 004 West Lindsey
3 Torridge 004 Torridge
4 Sedgemoor 009 Sedgemoor
5 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cook

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cook

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Cook is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cook is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cook falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cook 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 Cook, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cook

The surname COOK has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 11th century. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "coc," which referred to someone who prepared food or a cook. The name likely originated as a way to distinguish individuals by their profession or trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname COOK can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book contains entries for individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in various parts of the country during that time.

In the 13th century, the surname COOK was commonly found in various locations throughout England, including counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some early examples of the name include Roger le Coc, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Robert le Kok, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Essex in 1201.

The surname COOK has also been associated with various place names, often derived from the Old English word "coc" or its variations. For instance, the village of Cookley in Worcestershire, England, was originally recorded as "Cokelie" in the Domesday Book, indicating a connection to the name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname COOK. One prominent example is Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the famous British explorer and navigator who made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, mapping coastlines and islands. Another notable COOK was Sir Edward Cook (1552-1634), an English politician and jurist who served as a member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

Other notable figures with the surname COOK include: - Thomas Cook (1808-1892), an English businessman who founded the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son - Elisha Cook Jr. (1903-1995), an American character actor known for his roles in film noir and gangster movies - Marlow Cook (1927-2016), an American country music singer and songwriter - Robin Cook (1946-2005), a British politician who served as Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons

While the surname COOK is widely distributed across various regions and cultures today, its origins can be traced back to England, where it emerged as an occupational name for those involved in the preparation of food, reflecting the importance of this trade in daily life throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cook families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cook 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. Middlesex leads with 7,234 Cooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.25x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 7,234 1.25x
Yorkshire 4,350 0.76x
Lancashire 4,031 0.59x
Surrey 3,372 1.19x
Kent 2,453 1.24x
Gloucestershire 2,427 2.13x
Essex 2,227 1.94x
Lincolnshire 2,036 2.19x
Suffolk 1,995 2.82x
Durham 1,919 1.11x
Hampshire 1,904 1.60x
Warwickshire 1,615 1.10x
Staffordshire 1,470 0.75x
Somerset 1,403 1.50x
Worcestershire 1,124 1.48x
Lanarkshire 1,122 0.60x
Devon 1,019 0.84x
Wiltshire 990 1.93x
Sussex 970 0.99x
Norfolk 960 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 919 1.17x
Bedfordshire 865 2.88x
Northumberland 779 0.90x
Cheshire 775 0.61x
Derbyshire 762 0.84x
Leicestershire 699 1.09x
Buckinghamshire 694 1.98x
Berkshire 682 1.57x
Hertfordshire 636 1.59x
Oxfordshire 576 1.61x
Glamorgan 559 0.55x
Fife 542 1.58x
Northamptonshire 448 0.82x
Cambridgeshire 433 1.18x
Ayrshire 410 0.94x
Cornwall 407 0.62x
Monmouthshire 387 0.92x
Dorset 382 1.00x
Herefordshire 374 1.57x
Midlothian 350 0.45x
Angus 339 0.63x
Cumberland 331 0.66x
Renfrewshire 291 0.65x
Aberdeenshire 290 0.54x
Shropshire 194 0.39x
Buteshire 175 4.98x
Huntingdonshire 164 1.42x
Stirlingshire 115 0.54x
Clackmannanshire 111 2.32x
Perthshire 98 0.38x
Dumfriesshire 96 0.75x
Argyllshire 94 0.58x
Roxburghshire 94 0.89x
Dunbartonshire 80 0.51x
Royal Navy 65 0.94x
Pembrokeshire 62 0.34x
Caithness 56 0.70x
Morayshire 49 0.54x
Banffshire 44 0.37x
Channel Islands 40 0.23x
Inverness-shire 39 0.23x
Kirkcudbrightshire 38 0.45x
Brecknockshire 34 0.29x
Wigtownshire 33 0.43x
West Lothian 25 0.29x
Kincardineshire 24 0.34x
Berwickshire 23 0.33x
Peeblesshire 21 0.77x
Denbighshire 20 0.09x
Caernarfonshire 19 0.08x
Selkirkshire 19 0.36x
Westmorland 13 0.10x
Rutland 12 0.28x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.05x
Anglesey 8 0.08x
Flintshire 8 0.05x
East Lothian 7 0.09x
Isle of Man 7 0.07x
Merionethshire 7 0.07x
Ross-shire 7 0.04x
Radnorshire 6 0.13x
Kinross-shire 3 0.20x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.02x
Nairnshire 3 0.17x
Cardiganshire 1 0.01x
Orkney 1 0.02x
Shetland 1 0.02x
Sutherland 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. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 700 Cooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.24x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 700 1.24x
Lambeth 582 1.15x
Birmingham 557 1.14x
St Pancras London 549 1.18x
Aston 492 1.22x
Camberwell 452 1.22x
St Marylebone London 425 1.37x
Kensington London 408 1.26x
Hackney London 407 1.25x
Blackburn 357 1.95x
Cheltenham 333 3.79x
Govan 324 0.70x
Battersea 319 1.49x
Bethnal Green London 317 1.26x
West Ham 310 1.23x
Newington 309 1.44x
Shoreditch London 301 1.20x
Hammersmith London 295 2.06x
Bishopwearmouth 292 1.97x
Bermondsey 279 1.62x
Chelsea London 245 1.40x
Portsea 241 1.03x
Barony 239 0.50x
Holy Trinity 234 1.69x
Paddington London 228 1.07x
Luton 226 4.35x
Bromley London 224 1.75x
Mile End Old Town London 210 1.70x
Brighton 203 1.03x
St George Hanover Square 195 1.91x
Clerkenwell London 194 1.42x
Deptford St Paul 176 1.15x
Hampstead London 174 1.93x
Leeds 171 0.53x
Lowestoft 167 5.00x
Glasgow 164 0.49x
Liverpool 162 0.39x
Westoe 161 1.65x
Bedminster 156 1.78x
Wolverhampton 153 1.02x
Manchester 145 0.47x
Tottenham 142 1.54x
Nottingham St Mary 141 0.70x
Preston 137 0.74x
Ecclesall Bierlow 134 1.15x
Gateshead 134 1.04x
Southwark St George Martyr 134 1.15x
Kilmory 133 25.96x
Leicester St Margaret 131 0.83x
Dunfermline 129 2.44x
Toxteth Park 129 0.55x
Croydon 123 0.78x
Great Grimsby 121 2.05x
Everton 120 0.55x
Hornsey 120 1.64x
Halstead 118 8.83x
Plumstead 116 1.76x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 115 0.37x
Poplar London 115 1.05x
Ashton Under Lyne 114 0.76x
St Luke London 113 1.21x
West Derby 112 0.56x
Sculcoates 111 1.22x
St George In East London 111 2.03x
Brightside Bierlow 110 0.98x
Salford 110 0.54x
Sheffield 109 0.60x
Lewisham 108 1.02x
Maidstone 108 1.83x
Rotherhithe 107 1.49x
Dundee 105 0.52x
Swindon 103 2.59x
Walsall Foreign 102 1.01x
Kingston On Thames 101 1.49x
Ipswich St Margaret 100 4.17x
Kidderminster Borough 100 2.25x
Willesden 100 1.83x
Stockton On Tees 98 1.18x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 96 0.90x
Fulham London 96 1.14x
Woolwich 96 1.31x
Aberdeen Old Machar 95 0.85x
Kingswinford 95 1.34x
Middlesbrough 94 1.26x
Sedgley 93 1.28x
Stoke Damerel 92 1.09x
Clifton 91 1.58x
Bow London 88 1.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3,456
Elizabeth 2,217
Sarah 2,035
Jane 1,098
Eliza 1,052
Ann 1,024
Emma 928
Alice 857
Ellen 831
Annie 763
Emily 665
Hannah 531
Martha 442
Margaret 434
Harriet 427
Louisa 401
Charlotte 392
Fanny 349
Maria 341
Ada 333
Caroline 332
Edith 322
Florence 308
Kate 254
Lucy 243
Susan 229
Clara 223
Catherine 212
Harriett 208
Anne 194
Frances 193
Agnes 186
Rose 185
Isabella 162
Rebecca 162
Amelia 159
Esther 147
Sophia 142
Minnie 129
Julia 117
Amy 115
Matilda 113
Susannah 113
Lydia 108
Elizth. 96
Jessie 91
Eleanor 90
Ruth 90
Gertrude 88
Anna 86

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 3,594
John 2,966
George 2,156
Thomas 1,822
James 1,679
Charles 1,365
Henry 1,269
Joseph 897
Alfred 716
Robert 626
Frederick 606
Arthur 577
Edward 535
Samuel 447
Walter 438
Albert 416
Richard 392
Harry 311
Ernest 230
Herbert 222
Frank 219
David 188
Edwin 181
Francis 151
Wm. 140
Benjamin 135
Fred 116
Daniel 106
Isaac 98
Thos. 98
Stephen 82
Matthew 72
Tom 71
Geo. 70
Fredrick 61
Mark 57
Percy 57
Edmund 54
Jesse 53
Chas. 52
Fredk. 52
Abraham 51
Alexander 51
Sidney 50
Christopher 47
Michael 47
Andrew 46
Peter 44
Sydney 42
Philip 40

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Cook households.

FAQ

Cook surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cook surname in 1881?

In 1881, 59,467 people were recorded with the Cook surname. That placed it at #42 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cook surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 72,004 in 2016. That gives Cook a modern rank of #58.

What does the Cook surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who prepared meals or worked in a kitchen.

What does the Cook map show?

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