Show ContentsCockram History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Cockram

What does the name Cockram mean?

The ancient Scottish name Cockram was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Renfrewshire, where they took on the name of the lands of Cochrane in the parish of Paisley, near Glasgow. This place name is of uncertain derivation, perhaps stemming from the Welsh word "coch," meaning "red."

Early Origins of the Cockram family

The surname Cockram was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where the first record of the name was Waldeve de Coueran, who was witness to a charter issued by Dugal, son of Syfyn, to Walter Stewart, fifth Earl of Menteith, regarding several lands in Kintyre. William de Coughran of Lanark swore an oath of allegiance to King Edward I of England during his short conquest of Scotland in 1296. Walter Cochrane was the first record of the more popular spelling used today in 1262. His son William Cochrane, the second chief of the Clan, also rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296.

Early History of the Cockram family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockram research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1482, 1600, 1605, 1659, 1669, 1683, 1685, 1690, 1691, 1707, 1708, 1713, 1717 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Cockram History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockram Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Cockram has been spelled Cochrane, Cochran, Cocrane, Cocran, Cochren, Cockram, Cockran, Cockren and many more.

Early Notables of the Cockram family

Notable amongst the family at this time was William Cochrane (1605-1685), 1st Earl of Dundonald. Of his children was Sir John Cochrane (d. 1707), who was a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire in 1669; he was suspected of complicity in the Rye House Plot, and fled to Holland in 1683, returned to Scotland...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cockram Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cockram family to Ireland

Some of the Cockram family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Cockram migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Cockram Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. William Cockram, (b. 1609), aged 28, British settler from Southwold, Suffolk departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637 1
  • Mrs. Christine Cockram, (b. 1611), aged 26, British settler with 2 children from Southwold, Suffolk departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637 1

Cockram migration to Australia +

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

Cockram Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Cockram, (Cocklin) who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2
  • Mr. John Cockram, (b. 1821), aged 18, English labourer who was convicted in Somerset, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1897 3
  • Gabriel Cockram, aged 38, a pastoralist, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Nile"

Cockram 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:

Cockram Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Cockram, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
  • Maria Cockram, aged 26, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841

Cockram 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. 4
Cockram Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • James Cockram, who landed in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Cockram (post 1700) +

  • Phyllis E. Cockram, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Indiana, 1972 5
  • W.W. Cockram, Australian eponym of the W W Cockram Stakes, a Melbourne Racing Club Group 3 Australian Thoroughbred horse race
  • Allan Charles Cockram (b. 1963), retired English professional footballer from Kensington
  • Jeremi Cockram, Welsh television actor, best known for his role as Sion White in the Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Albert Richard Cockram, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 6


The Cockram 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: Virtute et labore
Motto Translation: By valour and exertion.


  1. Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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