Cothren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Cothren family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the town of Coddington, Cheshire. Although there are locations of the same name in Nottingham and Herefordshire, the Cheshire branch of the family is thought to be the source of most, if not all, cases of the name.

Early Origins of the Cothren family

The surname Cothren was first found in Cheshire at Coddington, a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Cotintone. Coddington is also located in Nottinghamshire (a village), Derbyshire (home of two farms) and Herefordshire (a tiny hamlet.) The Domesday Book lists Cotintone in Nottinghamshire and Cotingtune in Herefordshire. 1 The place name literally means "estate associated with a man called Cot(t)a," from the Old English personal names + "ing" + "tun." 2

Early History of the Cothren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cothren research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1630, 1651, 1678, 1689 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Cothren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cothren Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cothren include Coddington, Codington and others.

Early Notables of the Cothren family

Notables of the family at this time include William Coddington High Sheriff of Dublin.William Coddington (1601-1678) was founder and 1st Governor of Rhode Island, United States. He was a native of Lincolnshire and was chosen in England to be an 'assistant' or magistrate to the colony at Massachusetts Bay. Arriving at Salem 12 June 1630, along with...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cothren Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cothren Ranking

In the United States, the name Cothren is the 14,945^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Cothren family to Ireland

Some of the Cothren family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cothren family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cothren or a variant listed above: William Coddington of Lincolnshire who arrived in Rhode Island in 1630; Mary Coddington, who was on record in Salem, MA in 1630; Stockdale Coddington, who came to Massachusetts in 1644.

Contemporary Notables of the name Cothren (post 1700) +

Montgomery Morrison Cothren (1819-1888), American legislator and jurist
Marion Benedict Cothren (1880-1949), American suffrage and peace activist, lawyer, and children's author
Montgomery M. Cothren, American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate 5th District, 1849-50; Presidential Elector for Wisconsin, 1852; Circuit Judge in Wisconsin 5th Circuit, 1853-65, 1877-83 4
Harry F. Cothren, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Peekskill, New York, 1959 4
Frank H. Cothren, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 10th District, 1904 4

The Cothren 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: Nec metuas nec optes
Motto Translation: Neither fear nor wish.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html