Show ContentsCoggins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Celtic in origin, the name Coggins came from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name's origins go back to a time when the Coggins family lived in the parish of Cogan, which is in the diocese of Llandaff in the county of Glamorgan. The name literally means "a cup or bowl" 1 and probably meant "dweller in a bowl-shaped valley." 2

Early Origins of the Coggins family

The surname Coggins was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing at Cogan, a parish, in the union of Cardiff, hundred of Dinas-Powys, county of Glamorgan, South Wales. 3

"Cogan or Coggan is an ancient west of England name. There was a John de Cogan, of Hunispull, Somerset, in the reign of Edward I.; and in the reign of Richard II., William Cogan was sheriff of the county. De Cogan was a name found also in different parts of Devonshire in the time of Edward I., and it has long been an old Tiverton name." 4

Exploring Somerset in more detail, Richard Cogan was registered there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III) 5 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: John de Cogan, Somerset; and John de Cogan, Devon 6

"From this it is clear that the south-west forms of the surname are derived from the Llandaff parish. To Somerset and Devon was not a long journey." 6

In Devon, Bampton was the passed from the Paganell "heiress to Sir Milo Cogan, 'the great soldier and undertaker of the Irish Conquest.' Her descendant, Richard Cogan, had licence in 1336 to castellate his mansion house at Bampton, and to empark his wood and other lands at Uffculme. Every vestige of the castle has long disappeared." 7

Scotland was home to the family about this time. "Peter Cogan witnessed the gift of an acre of land in Coldingham to the monks of St. Cuthbert, and Robert Cogan witnessed a charter of lands in Raynigton to the Priory of Coldingham, 1275. Robert Cogan del counte de Berewyk rendered homage, 1296. [(to King Edward I during his invasion of Scotland)]" 8

The name "is uncommon in the Isle of Man." 9

Early History of the Coggins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coggins research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1230, 1233, 1278, 1545, 1591, 1593, 1605, 1607, 1684, 1686, 1716, 1723, 1731, 1780 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Coggins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coggins Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Coggins have included Cogan, Cogen, Coogan, Coogen, Coogin, Coggan, Coggen, Coggin, Coggins, Gogan, Goggin and many more.

Early Notables of the Coggins family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Cogan (1545?-1607), English physician, born about 1545 at Chard, Somersetshire. He was educated at Oxford. He practised as a physician at Manchester. Before 1686 he married Ellen, daughter of Sir Edmund...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coggins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coggins Ranking

In the United States, the name Coggins is the 4,697th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 10

Ireland Migration of the Coggins family to Ireland

Some of the Coggins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Coggins migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Coggins:

Coggins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Coggins, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1873

Canada Coggins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coggins Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Luke Coggins, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing 28th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th August 1847 but he died on board 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Coggins (post 1700) +

  • Nate Coggins (b. 1978), former American Arena Football League defensive specialist
  • Mark Coggins, American author
  • Franklin Coggins (1944-1994), American professional baseball player
  • Alvin Gilbert "Gil" Coggins (1928-2004), American jazz pianist
  • Richard Allen Coggins (b. 1950), American baseball outfielder
  • Jacob Coggins (b. 1978), American soccer player
  • Paschal Coggins, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 16th District, 1867-69, 1873-75 12
  • Lewis W. Coggins, American politician, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, 1906-09 12
  • Kilby Coggins, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 4th District, 1906 12
  • Jyles J. Coggins, American politician, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, 1975-77 12
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Coggins 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: Constans fidei
Motto Translation: Constant to honor.


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales. Institute of Historical Research, 1849, Print.
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  8. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  9. Moore, A.W., Manx Names. London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1906. Print
  10. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  11. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 69)
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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