Show ContentsCooten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the name Cooten are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from Cuthbert in the patronymic form where it was used as son of Cutt. 1 Alternatively, the name could have denoted "the son, or family, of Cutha (famous)." 2

Early Origins of the Cooten family

The surname Cooten was first found in Norfolk where Herlewin and WIllian Cutting were listed in 1221. Later, Richard Cutting was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1235. 1

"The Cuttings are at present at home in Ipswich and its neighbourhood. Edward Cuttinge held land in Haughley, Stowmarket, in the reign of Edward IV." 3

The Cowden variant came from Cowden, a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent. Great Cowden dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Coledun 4 and literally meant "hill where charcoal is made," from the Old English "col" + "dun." 5

Alternatively, the family could have originated in Scotland at "Cowden in the parish of Dalkeith, Midlothian. There is also a Cowden near Dollar but Cowden near Dalkeith is more probable source of the name." 6

Early History of the Cooten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooten research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1595, 1599, 1634, 1685 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Cooten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooten Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cooten family name include Cutting, Cudden, Cudding, Cuttin, Cutten, Cuttan, Cuddan, Cuddin, Cuddon, Cuding, Cuting, Cuden, Cutin, Cutine, Cudan, Cudane, Coudan, Couding, Coutting, Coutten, Couttan, Couttin, Cutton and many more.

Early Notables of the Cooten family

Distinguished members of the family include Francis Cuttinge (c. 1550-1595/6), English lutenist and composer. He "was one of the most distinguished composers of lute music towards the close of the reign of Elizabeth and the beginning of that of James. Nothing is...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cooten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooten family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Cooten surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Richard Cutting and his brother William were amongst the first settlers in the New World. They left from Ipswich England on the ship "Elizabeth".



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  6. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)


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