Contents [hide]

Cock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Cock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

The illustrious surname Cock finds its origin in the rocky, seaswept coastal area of southwestern England known as Cornwall. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Nickname surnames were rare among the Cornish, they did occasionally adopt names that reflected the physical characteristics or other attributes of the original bearer of the name. The name Cock is a nickname type of surname for a person with a rosy complexion or red hair. Interestingly, the name Cock was originally from the Welsh word coch, which means red.

Alternatively the name could have been Norman from "le Coq or Cocus. William, Gerold, Josceline, Radulphus Coqus or Cocus all appear in Normandy 1180-95. Of these, William and Ralph occur in England 1189." 1

Early Origins of the Cock family

The surname Cock was first found in Somerset where John le Cok and Henry le Cok were both listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 2 The Close Rolls had two listings John a Kok, Close Rolls, 9 Edward I and William le Kok, Close Rolls, 3 Edward I. 3

John Cok (1392?-1467?), was "Brother of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, born about 1392, probably in or near London, as he was apprenticed to Thomas Lamporte, a goldsmith in Wood Street. In 1417 he was ordained priest, and in 1419 became a brother of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. " 4

Early History of the Cock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cock research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1660 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Cock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cock Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Cock, Cocke, Koke, Cocks and others.

Early Notables of the Cock family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Cocke of Monks Kirby; and Christopher Cock, English instrument maker of the 17th century who supplied microscopes to Robert Hooke
Captain George Cock (d. 1679), "states that in the civil war he 'was employed by the queen mother to negotiate the raising of Lord Newcastle's army, and helped to supply it with arms; raised a troop h...

Cock migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Cock, or a variant listed above:

Cock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Johan Cock, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1627
lasso Cock, who arrived in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1627 5
Otto Earnest Cock, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1627 5
Lewis Cock, who landed in Virginia in 1638 5
Lewis Cock, who settled in Virginia in 1638
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Cock, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 5
Walter Cock, who landed in Virginia in 1706 5
Mary Cock, who landed in Virginia in 1706 5
James Cock, who landed in Virginia in 1706 5
Anne Cock, who landed in Virginia in 1706 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Cock, aged 50, who arrived in New Haven, Connecticut in 1826 5
Alfred Cock, aged 9, who landed in New Haven, Connecticut in 1826 5
Matthew Cock, who arrived in New York in 1842 5
Mr. Francis Cock, (b. 1814), aged 34, Cornish miner departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United States on 18th October 1848 6
Mr. T. Cock, (b. 1827), aged 21, Cornish miner departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 29th May 1848 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Charles B. Cock, (b. 1878), aged 22, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 29th April 1900 en route to Red Jacket, Michigan, USA 7
Mrs. Martha Cock, (b. 1874), aged 29, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 17th April 1903 en route to York, Pennsylvania, USA 7
Mr. Thomas Cock, (b. 1879), aged 24, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 7th November 1903 en route to De Lamar, Idaho, USA 7
Mr. W. Henry Cock, (b. 1877), aged 26, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 7th November 1903 en route to Victoria, British Columbia, USA 7
Mr. Thomas M. Cock, (b. 1882), aged 22, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 12th December 1904 en route to Bisbee, Arizona, USA 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cock Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Frederich Cock, who arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1757
Anthon Cock, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Frederich Cock, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Henrich Cock, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. John Cock, "Cox" Jr., U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1783 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock migration to Australia +

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

Cock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Cock, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Haynes Cock, Cornish convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. William Cock, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Haynes Cock, (b. 1814), aged 18 born in Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 24th March 1832, sentenced for 14 year for stealing a gun, transported aboard the ship "Circassian" in 1833 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 12
Mr. William Cock, (b. 1794), aged 41, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 30th June 1835, sentenced for 14 years for stealing 40 gallons of barley from Richard Williams and a bag from Jonathan Ball, transported aboard the ship "Recovery" on 26th October 1835 to New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock 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:

Cock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Cock, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 14
Robert Cock, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Amy Cock, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
John Cock, aged under 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Mr. Thomas H. Cock, (b. 1853), aged 21, Cornish cooper departing on 10th April 1874 aboard the ship "Stonehouse" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 29th June 1874 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cock migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Cock Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Joseph Cock who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Jo Cock, aged 18, who arrived in St Christopher in 1635 5
Mr. John Cock, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Cock (post 1700) +

Townsend Daniel Cock (1838-1913), American farmer, banker and politician from New York
William Cock, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County, 1792-93 18
Townsend P. Cock, American politician, Member of New York State Senate 1st District, 1872-73 18
Frank R. Cock, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 48th District, 1919-20; Member of South Dakota State Senate 39th District, 1921-24 18
John Gilbert "Jack" Cock MM MID (1893-1966), English footballer
Edward Cock (1805-1892), British surgeon, editor of Guy's Hospital Reports (1843-1849)
Gerald Cock (1887-1973), British broadcasting executive, first director of BBC television
Christina Cock (1887-2002), Australian oldest verified supercentenarian in Australian history, aged 114 years, 148 days when she died

Historic Events for the Cock family +

HMS Royal Oak

Clarence Henry Cock (1913-1939), British Lieutenant (E) with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html