Contents [hide]

Cochran History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Cochran History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Cochran

What does the name Cochran mean?

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Cochran. The Cochran family lived in Renfrewshire, where they took on the name of the lands of Cochrane in the parish of Paisley, near Glasgow. This place name is of uncertain derivation, perhaps stemming from the Welsh word "coch," meaning "red."

Early Origins of the Cochran family

The surname Cochran was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where the first record of the name was Waldeve de Coueran, who was witness to a charter issued by Dugal, son of Syfyn, to Walter Stewart, fifth Earl of Menteith, regarding several lands in Kintyre. William de Coughran of Lanark swore an oath of allegiance to King Edward I of England during his short conquest of Scotland in 1296. Walter Cochrane was the first record of the more popular spelling used today in 1262. His son William Cochrane, the second chief of the Clan, also rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296.

Early History of the Cochran family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cochran research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1482, 1600, 1605, 1659, 1669, 1683, 1685, 1690, 1691, 1707, 1708, 1713, 1717 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Cochran History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cochran Spelling Variations

The variation in the spelling of Medieval names is a result of the lack of spelling rules in the English language prior to the last few hundred years. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound, often varying the spelling of name within a single document. Cochran has appeared as Cochrane, Cochran, Cocrane, Cocran, Cochren, Cockram, Cockran, Cockren and many more.

Early Notables of the Cochran family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

William Cochrane (1605-1685), 1st Earl of Dundonald. Of his children was Sir John Cochrane (d. 1707), who was a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire in 1669
in 1690 he was restored to his estates at Ochiltree, Scotland. Thomas Cochrane, 8th Earl of Dundonald (1691-1778) was a cousin who inherited the Earldom, and was a Member of Parliament for Renfrewshir...

Cochran Ranking

In the United States, the name Cochran is the 507^th most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Cochran family to Ireland

Some of the Cochran family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cochran migration to the United States +

As the persecution of Clan families continued, they sailed for North America in increasing numbers. In most cases, they found the freedom and opportunity they sought. Land was often available and the American War of Independence allowed Scots an opportunity to solidify their independence from the English crown. These settlers and their ancestors went on to play essential roles in the forging of the nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Cochran Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Cochran, who arrived in New England in 1717 2
Ann Cochran, a Scotch-Irish settler, who settled in New Hampshire in 1722
Barbary Cochran, who landed in New England in 1732 2
George Cochran, who was on record in Pennsylvania in 1765
James Cochran, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cochran Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Cochran, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1802 2
Agnes Cochran, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 2
Elizabeth Cochran, aged 24, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 2
Charles Cochran, aged 24, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 2
Alexander Cochran, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cochran migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cochran Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Hugues Cochran, who settled in Quebec in 1685

Cochran Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James Cochran U.E. (b. 1710) born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 he died in 1794 3
Capt. John Cochran U.E. born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783; he was Captain in the British Navy, he was cousin to Lord Admiral Cochran 3
Mr. John Cochran U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 member of the Cape Ann Association 3
Mr. Peter Cochran U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 member of the Cape Ann Association 3
Mr. Robert Cochran U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 member of the Cape Ann Association 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cochran Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Cochran, aged 23, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Jane Cochran, aged 25, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Margaret, Cochran Jr., aged 20, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Mary Cochran, aged 27, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Robert Cochran, aged 60, who landed in Quebec in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cochran migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cochran Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Cochran, (Cochrane), (b. 1775), aged 25, English shoe maker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1841 4
Mr. Timothy Cochran who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Cochran, (Cochrane), (b. 1806), aged 24, English brick maker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Thomas L Cochran, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Helen Thompson" in 1840 7

Cochran migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cochran Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Rosalie Cochran, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred The Great" in 1859

Contemporary Notables of the name Cochran (post 1700) +

Mike Cochran (1936-2022), American journalist who worked for the Associated Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, pallbearer at the funeral of Lee Harvey Oswald
Vincent Cochran (1988-2021), better known by his stage name Slim 400, German-born, American rapper who was shot and killed December 8, 2021, he was 33 years old
Cathleen Cochran Herasimchuk (1944-2021), American jurist, judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (2001-2015)
William Thad Cochran (1937-2019), American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from Mississippi from 1978 to 2018
William Charles "Bill" Cochran (1934-2019), American politician, Democratic Member of the Indiana House of Representatives (1974-2008)
Talvin Wayne Cochran (1939-2017), American soul singer, known as The White Knight of Soul
Elizabeth Jane Cochran (1864-1922), birth name of Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known as Nellie Bly, an American journalist, writer, industrialist, inventor, and a charity worker, best known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg
Thomas "Tim" Daniel Cochran (1955-2014), American professor of Mathematics at Rice University specializing in topology, especially low-dimensional topology, the theory of knots and links
Alexander Gilmore Cochran (1846-1928), American politician, US Congressman from Pennsylvania
Wayne Cochran (b. 1939), American soul singer, referred to as The White Knight of Soul
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Cochran Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtute et labore
Motto Translation: By valour and exertion.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HELEN THOMPSON 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840HelenThompson.gif