COOKSON
Cookson is an English surname that historically denotes a person associated with the culinary profession. The name derives from the occupational term coc, Old English for cook, itself traced to the Latin Coquus.
From the earliest medieval records the surname has a patronymic character, meaning “son of the cook.” One of the earliest attestations is that of Hugo filius Coci, who appears in The Curia Rolls of Suffolk in 1208. In 1279 the Assize Court Rolls of Northumberland record a Gilbert Fit le Key – son of the cook, indicating the continued use of the occupational root as a family identifier.
Variations in spelling appear in later documents. The 1547 Register of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York lists Henry Cukeson, while an Agnes Cukeson is recorded in 1511. The first definitive spelling of the family name is that of Thomas Cokson, recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire during the reign of King Richard 11, known as Richard of Bordeaux. In 1582, an Elizabeth Cookson was married to James Dvnne at Saint Mary's Church in Somerset, London, illustrating the surname’s presence in the south of England.
The Cookson name entered the annals of military history through George Cookson (1760 – 1835), who was styled Major‑General of the Navy in 1814 after distinguished service in Egypt in 1801 and with Sir John Moore in 1808. His career demonstrates the family's continued prominence beyond the sole context of culinary trade.
Although originally confined to the British Isles, the surname Cookson has since spread to other English‑speaking countries, retaining its occupational significance while adapting to new cultural contexts. The name remains a testament to the medieval practice of identifying individuals by their profession or by descent from a person of that profession.
Typical given names associated with the Cookson surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Thomas
Female
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Cookson in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 6,547 people named Cookson in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,450th most common surname in Britain. Around 101 in a million people in Britain are named Cookson.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cookson
- Sophie Cookson - Actress
- Catherine Cookson - Writer (1906 to 1998)
- Susan Cookson - Actress
- Georgina Cookson - Actress (1918 to 2011)
- Oliver Cookson - Engineer
- Henry Cookson - Polar explorer
- Brian Cookson - Racing cyclist and cycling executive
- Steve Cookson - Football player
- Jimmy Cookson - Football player (1904 to 1970)
- Harry Cookson - Football player (1869 to 1922)
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.