COGHILL
The surname Coghill is of English origin and is recorded in the British Isles from the 12th century. It appears to be a locational surname, linked to a hill or a hilltop (Old English cocc “cock” or “rooster” and hyll “hill”), suggesting that the original bearers lived near a hill where roosters were kept.
In Scotland the name is thought to derive from the lands of Cogle in Caithness. The element is believed to come from the Danish Kogel, meaning a hood, here used in the sense of a mountain top. A Danish family bearing the name Kogel is recorded as having settled at Papa Stour in the Shetlands before the 17th century and gave rise to one branch of the Coghills. The first extant spelling, Andrew Cogill of Papastour, Waiss parish, appears in a 1628 "Commissariat Record of Orkney and Shetland" dated during the reign of King Charles I.
Church registers in Caithness contain numerous entries from the mid-17th century, including the marriage of Alexander Coghill and Anna Bain in Canisbay on 24 July 1653 and the christening of William Cogill in Thurso on 25 October 1680. Later variations such as Coghil (Wick 1776) and Coggle (Bowertower 1790) are also recorded.
During the Middle Ages the Coghills became a powerful aristocratic family in Scotland, accumulating considerable landholdings and exerting political and economic influence in the northern part of the country. Their prominence waned in the 16th century, but the surname persisted in the region and spread to other parts of the British Isles.
In England the name is associated mainly with the north, notably Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Historic records indicate its presence in Carlisle, Manchester, Liverpool and Hull, and the name remains in those communities today. In Ireland it is found in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, with sizeable concentrations around Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Londonderry.
The surname has numerous variant spellings. In Scotland common variants include Cogill and Coggill. In Ireland some documented forms are Coagule, Coaghill and Cogheill. In England the list is far longer, including Cogshall, Cogswell, Coghall, Coghalll and others. The variety of spellings reflects the name's long history and the regional differences in orthography.
Beyond the British Isles the Coghill name has spread worldwide. In the United States the earliest settler is recorded in the Virginia Colonies, and the surname can be found today in Eastern North Carolina and other regions. Despite this wide dispersion, the etymological roots of the name – a hill or hilltop – remain clear and underline the long‑standing connection of its bearers to the landscape of their homeland.
Typical given names associated with the Coghill surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Bryan
- David
- Donald
- George
- James
- John
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Jean
- Kelly
- Linda
- Mandy
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Pamela
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Cogill
- Cargill
- Cockle
- Cogle
- Coil
- Cohill
- Coel
- Cool
- Cogheil
- Coill
- Coils
- Cackell
- Caghill
- Cagle
- Cagli
- Caglia
- Cakill
- Cakli
- Cakolli
- Caukell
- Caukill
- Cauquil
- Cawkel
- Cawkell
- Cawkill
- Cockel
- Cockell
- Cockill
- Coggell
- Cogghill
- Coggil
- Coggill
- Coggle
- Coghiel
- Cokell
- Cokill
- Cookell
- Cookle
- Coquel
- Coquelle
- Coquilla
- Coughill
- Cougle
- Coyl
- Cuckala
- Cuckill
- Cuckle
- Gacal
- Gaggioli
- Gaglio
- Gagola
- Gaughall
- Ghiglia
- Gocal
- Gockel
- Gocool
- Gocoul
- Gocul
- Gogal
- Goghill
- Gogle
- Goglia
- Gogol
- Gogola
- Goguel
- Gokal
- Gokel
- Gokool
- Gokul
- Guaglio
- Guckel
- Guclu
- Gugala
- Guggle
- Guglia
- Kacal
- Kacala
- Kagle
- Kakala
- Kakel
- Kakol
- Kakoulli
- Keagle
- Kegl
- Keigle
- Kekel
- Kekilli
- Kickel
- Kickle
- Kicul
- Kiggell
- Kikel
- Kikla
- Kocol
- Kokal
- Kokel
- Kokol
- Kougl
- Kucala
- Kukala
- Kukeli
- Kukiela
- Kukkala
- Kukla
- Kukul
- Kukula
- Quagle
- Quaglia
- Quaglio
- Quiggle
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Coghill in...
Braille
⠉⠕⠛⠓⠊⠇⠇
Morse
-.-.-----........-...-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,006 people named Coghill in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,347th most common surname in Britain. Around 15 in a million people in Britain are named Coghill.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Coghill
- Chris Coghill - Actor
- Douglas Coghill - Politician (1855 to 1928)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.