Show ContentsCohren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Cohren

What does the name Cohren mean?

In ancient Scotland, the first people to use Cohren as a surname were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name someone who 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 Cohren family

The surname Cohren 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 Cohren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cohren 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 Cohren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cohren Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Cohren has been spelled Cochrane, Cochran, Cocrane, Cocran, Cochren, Cockram, Cockran, Cockren and many more.

Early Notables of the Cohren 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 Cohren Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cohren family to Ireland

Some of the Cohren 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.


Cohren migration to Australia +

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

Cohren Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Cohren, English convict who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 1


The Cohren 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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde


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