Cockrell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Cockrell is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Cockrell family lived in Gloucestershire. The family was originally from Cocquerel, near Evreux, Normandy, and it is from that location that their name derives.

Early Origins of the Cockrell family

The surname Cockrell was first found in Gloucestershire where Illyas de Kokerel held fiefs in 1165 from Bohun and Neumarché. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Geoffrey Cokerell in Norfolk; John Cokerel in Yorkshire; and Reginald Kokerel in Cambridgeshire. 2 "In 1324 Sir William Cockerell was returned from Essex to attend a great council at Westminster." 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Matilda Cokrell; Elias Cokrell and Alicia Cokerell. 2

Early History of the Cockrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockrell research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1305, 1574, 1575, 1754, 1759, 1788, 1790, 1794, 1802, 1807, 1809, 1827, 1832, 1833, 1840, 1861, 1863 and 1878 are included under the topic Early Cockrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockrell Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Cockerell, Cockerill, Cockrill, Cockrell and others.

Early Notables of the Cockrell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1754-1827), English architect, son of John Cockerell of Bishop's Hall, Somersetshire. He was brother of Sir Charles Cockerell, M.P., of Sezincote, Gloucestershire, who was created a Baronet in 1809. His mother was daughter of John Jackson, the nephew and heir of Samuel Pepys, and through her Cockerell became the representative, and inherited many interesting relics, of the great diarist. One of his sons was Charles Robert Cockerell [q. v.], a far more distinguished architect than his father. 3Charles Robert Cockerell (1788-1863), the English architect was the son of Samuel Pepys...
Another 246 words (18 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cockrell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockrell Ranking

In the United States, the name Cockrell is the 2,896^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Cockrell family to Ireland

Some of the Cockrell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockrell migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cockrell or a variant listed above:

Cockrell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Cockrell, who landed in Virginia in 1695 5

Cockrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Miss M. Cockrell, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1893
Mrs. Mary Cockrell, aged 40, who settled in America from Londonderry, in 1893
Mrs. A. W. Cockrell, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894

Cockrell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Eliza Cockrell, aged 42, who landed in America from London, in 1905
Amelia Ann Cockrell, aged 44, who immigrated to the United States from Milton Regis, England, in 1908
Florida Walker Cockrell, who landed in America, in 1912
Josephine Cockrell, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1912
Mary Cockrell, aged 26, who settled in America, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cockrell (post 1700) +

Phillip Cockrell (1895-1951), born Phillip Williams, African American baseball player in the Negro Leagues
Nathan Elams Cockrell (1833-1859), American founder of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity
Kenneth Dale "Taco" Cockrell (b. 1950), American astronaut, veteran of five space shuttle missions
Byron Lavoy Cockrell (1935-2007), American rocket scientist and engineer
Kellie Cockrell, American actress, best known for her roles in Minutemen (2008) and Return to Halloweentown (2006)
Katie Cockrell (b. 1988), American actress, best known for her role in High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
Alan Cockrell (b. 1962), American retired Major League Baseball player
Alvin C. Cockrell (1918-1937), American serviceman in World War II, recipient of the Navy Cross, eponym of the USS Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366)
Kenneth Dale Cockrell (b. 1950), American NASA space shuttle astronaut
Francis Marion Cockrell (1834-1915), American Confederate army general and U.S. senator
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
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
"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)