COTTAM
The surname Cottam is an old English locational name that originated in the British Isles and is still primarily found in England.
Its etymology is derived from the Old English words cot, meaning a small cottage or shelter, and ham, meaning a village or homestead. Consequently, the name would have been applied to someone who lived near or in a small cottage or hamlet, making it a topographic surname that indicates occupation or place of residence.
There are several places in England that bear the same root: Cottam in the East Riding of Yorkshire and near Retford in Nottinghamshire, Coatham in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and Cotham in Nottinghamshire near Newark. In the Midlands there are similarly named villages such as Coton in Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire, and Cotton in Shropshire and Northamptonshire. These place names are themselves derived from older forms of *cotum*, the pre-7th-century Old English for cottages.
The earliest recorded spelling of the family name is Randulf de Cotton, dated 1185 in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire under the reign of King Henry II. In 1212 a person called Ralph de Cottum is likewise recorded in Yorkshire’s Pipe Rolls. Later documented instances include the 1701 christening of Sarah, daughter of William Cottham, in Great Mitton, Yorkshire, and the 1655 marriage of William Cottam to Mary Ellesker at Brantingham, Yorkshire.
Variant spellings of the surname include Cottham, Cotton, Cottom, Coatham, and less common forms such as Cottingham, Cottun, and Coctam. These variations reflect changes in spelling conventions over the centuries and the adaptation of the name to different dialects.
In contemporary times the surname remains most common in the United Kingdom, particularly within England. It is also found in countries that received sizeable British immigration, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Within the United States it has a noted presence in states such as Nevada, Utah and Oregon, while in Canada it is most frequent in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. In Australia the name appears in New South Wales and in New Zealand it is most common on the South Island, especially in the Canterbury region.
Those bearing the surname Cottam often value their heritage, expressing pride in their English roots. The name is traditionally associated with ambition, strength, hard work, duty and responsibility. In modern society, bearers maintain a strong sense of pride in the legacy of the name.
Related surnames that share the same linguistic origin include Coatham, Coton, Cotton, Cotterel, Cottrell and Quottom. The multiplicity of spellings recorded across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Americas attests to the long history and widespread adoption of this name.
Typical given names associated with the Cottam surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Dorothy
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Janet
- Jennifer
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Pauline
- 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 Cottam in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 3,750 people named Cottam in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,480th most common surname in Britain. Around 58 in a million people in Britain are named Cottam.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cottam
- Harold Cottam - Wireless operator on the RMS Carpathia (1891 to 1984)
- Bob Cottam - Test and County cricketer
- Nicholas Cottam - Army general
- Andy Cottam - Cricketer
- John Cottam - Football player and manager
- Francis Cottam - Cricketer (1900 to 1987)
- Michael Cottam - Cricketer
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.