Show ContentsCotton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Cotton Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Cotton

What does the name Cotton mean?

The Cotton name comes from that Medieval landscape of southern France known as Languedoc. The name Cotton was originally derived from the family having lived in Languedoc, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Cotton family

The surname Cotton was first found in Languedoc, where they are recorded as one of the distinguished ancient families of that region.

The Cot or Côté family were well educated and learned people and there are many instances in the records of this. The Les Cot family of Limoges developed one of the first printing methods, with hot lead type, which they took to Paris in the 1600's. Pierre was an author of a book on the origins of printing in 1707.

Jean Pierre Cote, a noted poet, was born in Briancon in 1810. Jean-Leopold left on his death a "Dictionnaire de la législation des états sardes" in 1841. Jean André de Cot, descended from the Tournon branch of the family and, born in Briancon in 1789, campaigned against the war of the Empire, and his son Alexis was the owner of the "Journal de Tournon".

Jean Côté settled in Quebec in 1634 and married Anne Martin on 17th November 1635. Together they had five sons that carried on the family name of Côté. Jean was buried in Quebec on 28th March 1661. 1

Early History of the Cotton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cotton research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1472, 1530, 1532, 1539, 1540, 1543, 1549, 1564, 1575, 1589, 1595, 1604, 1613, 1626, 1656, 1681 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Cotton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cotton Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Cotton, some of which include Côté, Cot, Cotte, Cott, Kott, Kote, Cotée, Cotet, Cotin, Coton, Cottet, Cottin, Cotton, Cotard, Cottard, Lacotte, Cotté, Cottu, Cottarel, Cottebrune, Cotner, Cottez and many more.

Early Notables of the Cotton family

Claude Cot, Treasurer of Dauphiné in 1472; Pierre Coton (1564-1626), a French Jesuit and royal confessor; Charles Cotin or Abbé Cotin (1604-1681), a French abbé, philosopher and poet; and Robert de Cotte (1656-1735), a French architect-administrator. Gaspard Coste, chorister in the cathedral of Avignon about 1530, composer of songs and madrigals, preserved in the following collections; 'Trente-cinq livres des...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cotton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cotton World Ranking

the United Kingdom, the name Cotton is the 710th most popular surname with an estimated 9,452 people with that name. 2 However, in New Zealand, the name Cotton is ranked the 723rd most popular surname with an estimated 989 people with that name. 3 And in the United States, the name Cotton is the 856th popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 4 France ranks Cotton as 2,985th with 2,000 - 2,500 people. 5

Cotton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Cotton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Cotton, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Michael Cotton, (b. 1779), aged 48, English cooper who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1862 8
  • Mrs. Hannah Cotton, (b. 1801), aged 29, English laundress who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for larceny, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she had 2 children with her aboard, she died in 1867 9
  • Mr. Henry Cotton, (b. 1798), aged 34, English butcher who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1833 10
  • Mr. William Cotton, (b. 1809), aged 27, English ploughman who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cotton 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:

Cotton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Rev. W.Cotton, Australian settler travelling from Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Bristolian" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842 12
  • George Cotton, aged 29, a servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
  • Jemima Cotton, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
  • Mr. William Cotton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Inchinnan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 27th May 1852 12
  • Mrs. Margaret Cotton, (b. 1810), aged 43, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cotton 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. 13
Cotton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Cotton, who settled in Jamaica in 1663

Cotton migration to Canada +

Cotton Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Cotton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Leonard Cotton, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Cotton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Cotton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1842
  • Mr. Thomas Cotton, aged 14 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 15

Cotton migration to the United States +



Cotton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Cotton, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1607 16
  • Seaborn Cotton, son of John Cotton, was born aboard the ship "Griffin" on route to Boston in 1633. 16
  • Mrs. Sarah Cotton, (neeHawkred), who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 aboard the ship "Griffin" with husband John, bound for New England
  • Rev. John Cotton, (15858-1652), a clergyman in England and the American colonies and was considered the preeminent minister and theologian of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He arrived in Boston aboard the ship "Griffin" in 1633, bound for New England 16
  • Miss Elizabeth Cotton, (born Story) who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 aboard the ship "Griffin", daughter of Mrs. Sarah Cotton from her first marriage 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Cotton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Robert Cotton, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 16
  • Joseph Cotton, who landed in Virginia in 1735 16
  • Nathaniel Cotton, who arrived in Florida in 1768 16
  • Henry Cotton, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1777 16
Cotton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Cotton, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 16
  • Tomas Cotton, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 16
  • Timothy Cotton, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 16
  • Claudius Cotton, aged 25, who arrived in Missouri in 1842 16
  • J S Cotton, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Cotton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. George Cotton, (b. 1885), aged 18, Cornish gardener travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1903 en route to Houghton, Michigan, Usa 18
  • Mr. Thomas Cotton, (b. 1881), aged 23, Cornish roofer travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1904 en route to Braddock, Pennsylvania, USA 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Cotton (post 1700) +

  • Aimé Auguste Cotton (1869-1951), French scientist, discovered the Cotton effect (in 1895) and Cotton-Mouton effects
  • Ms. Alexandra Cotton M.B.E., British Mental Health Nurse for Street Triage Team for Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Mental Health 19
  • Mr. Steven Cotton M.B.E., British Major for the Royal Marines, appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 20
  • Dorothy Cotton (1930-2018), American leader in the Civil Rights Movement from Goldsboro, North Carolina, member of Southern Christian Leadership Conference
  • John J. Cotton (1924-2016), American professional NBA basketball small forward
  • Darryl Cotton (1949-2012), Australian pop singer, television presenter and actor
  • Arthur Witty Cotton (1878-1969), Spanish-born, English footballer, club president and businessman
  • Frank Albert Cotton (1930-2007), American chemist awarded the U.S. National Medal of Science in 1982, the Wolf Prize in 2000; and the Priestley Medal in 1998 along with twenty-nine honorary doctorates
  • Joseph Cheshire Cotton (1905-1994), award-winning American actor of stage and film 20
  • ... (Another 50 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Lewis A Cotton (b. 1918), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from West Gorton, Manchester, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 21
  • Mr. A. Cotton (d. 1912), aged 26, English Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22

Suggested Readings for the name Cotton +

  • The Cottons of Catahoula and Related Families by William Davis Cotton.
  • The English Ancestry of Rev. John Cotton of Boston by H. G. Somerby.
  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  15. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 21)
  16. 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)
  17. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  18. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  19. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  20. Joseph Cotton. (Retrieved 2011, January 21) Joseph Cotton. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cotten
  21. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  22. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html

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