NameCensus.

UK surname

Cosker

Likely an English surname derived from a location name or topographic feature.

In the 1881 census there were 86 people recorded with the Cosker surname, ranking it #21,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 169, ranked #21,884, down from #21,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Briton Ferry, London parishes and Llanhilleth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Herefordshire and Bridgend.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cosker is 197 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 96.5%.

1881 census count

86

Ranked #21,449

Modern count

169

2016, ranked #21,884

Peak year

2000

197 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cosker had 86 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 169 in 2016, ranked #21,884.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 155 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Cosker surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cosker surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cosker 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 55 #23,413
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 86 #21,449
1891 historical 123 #20,939
1901 historical 152 #17,916
1911 historical 155 #17,485
1997 modern 174 #19,231
1998 modern 185 #18,973
1999 modern 190 #18,797
2000 modern 197 #18,384
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 197 #18,474
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 190 #18,792
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 175 #19,850
2007 modern 178 #19,887
2008 modern 184 #19,666
2009 modern 183 #20,135
2010 modern 190 #20,087
2011 modern 187 #20,132
2012 modern 167 #21,598
2013 modern 170 #21,726
2014 modern 170 #21,914
2015 modern 168 #21,971
2016 modern 169 #21,884

Geography

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Where Coskers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Briton Ferry, London parishes, Llanhilleth, Dale (incl. Shokham Island) and St Anne Limehouse. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Herefordshire, Bridgend and Redcar and Cleveland. 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 Briton Ferry Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Llanhilleth Monmouthshire
4 Dale (incl. Shokham Island) Pembrokeshire
5 St Anne Limehouse London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 013 Neath Port Talbot
2 Herefordshire 022 Herefordshire, County of
3 Bridgend 002 Bridgend
4 Redcar and Cleveland 003 Redcar and Cleveland
5 Neath Port Talbot 004 Neath Port Talbot

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cosker

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cosker

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cosker, 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 Cosker surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cosker 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Cosker 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

Cosker is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cosker falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cosker

The surname Cosker originates from England, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cosc," meaning a small cottage or hut, and the suffix "-er," indicating a person associated with or living in such a dwelling. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a modest dwelling or worked as a cottager.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Whitby, Yorkshire, where a baptismal entry for "John Cosker" was recorded in 1587. Another early mention is in the Hearth Tax Returns of 1673, which lists a "William Cosker" as a resident of the village of Muker in the North Riding of Yorkshire.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Durham, with pockets of Coskers also found in Lancashire and Westmorland. It is possible that the name may have evolved from similar-sounding place names, such as Cossall in Nottinghamshire or Cosgrove in Northamptonshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Cosker include Robert Cosker (1613-1672), a merchant and alderman of the City of London, and John Cosker (1732-1801), a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Thomas Cosker (1759-1834) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Durham, known for his charitable donations to local hospitals and schools.

In the 19th century, the name spread more widely across England, with families bearing the surname Cosker found in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, and London. One notable figure from this period was William Cosker (1836-1912), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in the North of England, including the Town Hall in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Another prominent individual was George Cosker (1872-1945), a celebrated artist and illustrator whose works were widely published in magazines and books during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. He is particularly renowned for his illustrations of children's stories and fairy tales.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cosker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cosker 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. Pembrokeshire leads with 17 Coskers recorded in 1881 and an index of 63.77x.

County Total Index
Pembrokeshire 17 63.77x
Kent 16 5.59x
Cheshire 9 4.86x
Wigtownshire 9 80.79x
Hertfordshire 7 12.11x
Yorkshire 7 0.84x
Middlesex 6 0.72x
Durham 5 2.00x
Glamorgan 4 2.74x
Lancashire 4 0.40x
Bedfordshire 1 2.30x
Carmarthenshire 1 2.83x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Claughton With Grange in Cheshire leads with 9 Coskers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1071.43x.

Place Total Index
Claughton With Grange 9 1071.43x
Wigtown 9 1406.25x
Charlton Next Woolwich 8 268.46x
Woolwich 8 75.69x
Rickmansworth 7 440.25x
Lamphey 6 6666.67x
Limehouse London 5 54.29x
Shincliffe 5 1785.71x
Briton Ferry 4 229.89x
Mirfield 4 87.72x
Cosheston 3 1875.00x
Thornaby 3 96.46x
Walwyns Castle 3 3000.00x
Castlemartin 2 1818.18x
Everton 2 6.31x
Preston 2 7.51x
Harroldston West 1 2500.00x
Laugharne 1 212.77x
Luton 1 13.30x
St George Hanover Square 1 6.77x
St Ishmaels 1 714.29x
Steynton 1 116.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Elizabeth 4
Jane 3
Emily 2
Harriet 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Eliz. 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Liza 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Marth 1
Rosella 1
Rosina 1
Selina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Thomas 8
James 5
William 4
Richard 3
George 2
Robert 2
Alfred 1
David 1
Evan 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cosker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cosker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 86 people were recorded with the Cosker surname. That placed it at #21,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cosker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 169 in 2016. That gives Cosker a modern rank of #21,884.

What does the Cosker surname mean?

Likely an English surname derived from a location name or topographic feature.

What does the Cosker map show?

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