Contents [hide]

Cockburn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Cockburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Scotland
Ireland

The name Cockburn comes from the Boernician Scottish-English border region. The Cockburn family lived in Berwickshire named Cockburn. The place name in turn, comes from the Old English cocc, meaning "rooster," and burna, meaning "a stream." As such, the surname is classed as a local, or habitational name, derived from a place where the original bearer lived or held land.

Early Origins of the Cockburn family

The surname Cockburn was first found in Roxburghshire in the lands of Merse. One of the first recorded instances of the name was during the reign of William the Lion (1165-1214) when a Cukoueburn was listed in the area of Clifton, Roxburghshire. Typical of these early entries, no given name was provided. Peter de Cokburne witnessed a grant in 1220. One of the earliest records of a Clan crest was in 1296, when a rooster (cock) is shown on the seal of Peres de Cokeburne. Sir Alexander Cockburn was killed at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. In 1390, his grandson Alexander was appointed Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland.

Early History of the Cockburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockburn research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1281, 1595, 1656, 1685, 1735, 1770 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cockburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockburn Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. Cockburn has been spelled Cockburne, Cobourne, Coburn, Coburne, Cocburn, Cockbain, Cockborne, Cockbourn, Cobourn, Cockburn, Cokburn, Cogburn, Cokbain, Cokborne, Cokbourn, Cokbourne, Cokburne, Cowburn and many more.

Early Notables of the Cockburn family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Adam Cockburn, Laird of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston (1656-1735), a Scottish administrator, politician and judge
Lord Cockburn, a Judge, Author, and Politician
James Cockburn, first M.P. for Muskoka and first Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada

Cockburn Ranking

In the United States, the name Cockburn is the 15,886^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Cockburn family to Ireland

Some of the Cockburn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockburn migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Cockburn or a variant listed above:

Cockburn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Archibald Cockburn, who settled in Carolina in 1682
James Cockburn, who settled in East New Jersey in 1684

Cockburn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Cockburn, who settled in New York in 1701
Alexander Cockburn, who arrived in Leeward Islands in 1710 2
William Cockburn, who settled in Boston in 1715

Cockburn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward, James, and Jane Cockburn, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1820
J P Cockburn, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
Charles Cockburn, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1874 2

Cockburn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cockburn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Adam Cockburn, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
las Cockburn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Nicholas Cockburn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Robert Cockburn, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Robert Cockburn, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cockburn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Cockburn, aged 33, a shepherd, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Jane Cockburn, aged 32, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Adam Cockburn, aged 12, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Phillip Cockburn, aged 10, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Euphans Cockburn, aged 8, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cockburn migration to Australia +

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

Cockburn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

A.T. Cockburn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Childe Harold" in 1849 3
J. Cockburn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Childe Harold" in 1849 3
Mr. Adam Cockburn, Scottish convict who was convicted in Jedburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 1st January 1850, arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia 4
Elizabeth Cockburn, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

Cockburn 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:

Cockburn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alexander Cockburn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Andrew Cockburn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
J Cockburn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
James Cockburn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Robert Cockburn, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cockburn (post 1700) +

Leslie Cockburn (b. 1952), born Leslie Corkill Redlich, an American Emmy Award winning investigative journalist for CBS, NBC, PBS Frontline, and 60 Minutes, recipient of The Hillman Prize, Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the George Polk Award, mother of Olivia Wilde
Olivia Jane Cockburn (b. 1984), birth name of Olivia Wilde, an American multiple award winning actress, known for her roles in Rush (2013), In Time (2011), TRON: Legacy (2010) and House M.D. (2004) and more
Alexander Claud Cockburn (1941-2012), Scottish-born, American political journalist and writer
Robert C. Cockburn, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Kingston, 1926 5
John Alexander Cockburn (1850-1929), Australian (Scottish born) politician, Premier of South Australia (1889-1890)
Henry Thomas Cockburn (1779-1854), Scottish judge, author, politician, made Lord Cockburn in 1834
Alison Cockburn (1713-1794), Scottish poet
Andrew Myles Cockburn (b. 1947), British journalist and the Washington D.C., editor of Harper's Magazine, father of Olivia Wilde
Cynthia Cockburn (1934-2019), British academic, feminist, and peace activist
Don Cockburn (1930-2017), Irish journalist, presenter and newsreader
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cockburn family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Gordon William Cockburn, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 6
Mr. James Cockburn, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 6

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Guy Rosebery Cockburn, English 2nd Class passenger residing in Pasadena, California, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 7
Mr. Andrew Cockburn, English Senior 2nd Engineer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 8

The Cockburn 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: Accenti cantu
Motto Translation: He animates by crowing.

Citations +

"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHILDE HAROLD 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849ChildeHarold.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/