Cobain Surname History

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Cobain comes from when the family resided in Cobham Kent, a village and civil parish in the Gravesham District that dates back to before the Norman Conquest. The first record of the village was in 939 where it was listed as Cobba hammes mearce.

Cobham, Surrey was established later as the first record of the village in the Borough of Elmbridge was in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Covenham. Both places have the same origin as in "enclosure or homestead of a man called Cobba," having derived from the Old English personal name + hamm or ham. 1

Early Origins of the Cobain family

The surname Cobain was first found in Kent where Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham (c. 1260-1339) was the oldest Baron of Cobham created in 1313. His father John de Cobham of Cobham, Kent, and of Cowling or Cooling, Kent (died c. 1300) was Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Rochester and Chief Baron of the Exchequer. This line would carry on until 1951 when Robert Disney Leith Alexander, 16th Baron Cobham died. However, there were three other creations of the Barons of Cobham at similar times located in Runham, Sterborough and again in Kent. About the same time, Thomas Cobham was Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in 1313 and later Bishop of Worcester.

Further south and west in Cornwall, "the manor of Whitstone, to the house of which, according to Mr. Whitaker, the parish is indebted for its name, belonged at the time when Doomsday Survey was taken, to the Earl of Moreton, and was one of the 288 manors which he enjoyed from the bounty of the Conqueror. At a subsequent period it belonged to the family of Cobham." 2

Early History of the Cobain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cobain research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1307, 1313, 1332, 1339, 1381, 1398, 1408, 1700 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Cobain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cobain Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cobain has been recorded under many different variations, including Cobham, Cobbam, Cobban and others.

Early Notables of the Cobain family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham, (1260-1339), Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1307, He also held the titles of Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Canterbury, Tonbridge, Dover and Rochester Castles, all in Kent; and John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham (d. 1408), son of John de Cobham, 2nd Baron Cobham and Joan de Beauchamp, given a licence to crenellate by Richard II in 1381 and built...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cobain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cobain migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cobain or a variant listed above:

Cobain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Cobain, who settled in Philadelphia in 1860
Alexander Cobain, aged 21, who immigrated to America from County Mayo, Ireland in 1899
William Cobain, aged 25, who landed in America from Dublin, in 1899

Cobain Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Marguerite Cobain, aged 26, who settled in America, in 1905
William Cobain, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1909
Daniel Cobain, aged 40, who settled in Brooklyn, NY., USA, in 1910
Leila Helen Cobain, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Bendmomouth, England, in 1912
Thomas Cobain, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States from Carrickmore, Ireland, in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cobain (post 1700) +

Kurt Donald Cobain (1967-1994), American musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print