Surname Cottingame - Meaning and Origin

Cottingame: What does the surname Cottingame mean?

The last name Cottingame is an English surname that dates back to the 12th century. It is thoughtto be derived from the Old English personal name Cotta, with a suffix meaning game or wager. This surname could be referring to a person who was known to be a gambler or perhaps a gamekeeper.

The Cottingames are thought to have originated from either Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire in England, and from there spread across the country and eventually to the United States. The name is believed to have first appeared in documents in the 1300s, with early references to people with this name living in Yorkshire, Dorset and Somerset in the early 1600s.

Throughout history, many members of this family have been members of the clergy, merchants and barley farmers. In more recent times, members of the Cottingame family have played an important role in military service, engineering, science, the legal profession, agriculture and the fashion industry.

Today, the Cottingame family name is relatively rare. However, many of its members have left their mark on society in various ways - whether through military service, medicine, engineering, art, music and more. The Cottingame name continues to inspire the next generations to carry out their own successful endeavors in life.

Cottingame: Where does the name Cottingame come from?

The Cottingame surname is most common in the United States today, with the majority of individuals bearing this name residing in the south-central states. Specifically, the highest concentrations of the Cottingame name can be found in South Carolina, followed by Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.

In South Carolina, more than 1200 individuals have the Cottingame surname, and the majority trace their lineage back to a common ancestor, Major William Cottingame, a Revolutionary War soldier and charter member of the Lower Santee Baptist Church in Santee, SC. William Cottingame setteled in what is now Dorchester County and married Sarah Northey. His five sons spread out and married into the surrounding area, leading to a large extended family that populated much of the Lowcountry.

Louisiana has the second-highest concentration of individuals with the Cottingame surname, as descendants of William Cottingame as well as another line that emigrated from Europe between the late 1700s and early 1800s during the Spanish colonization, and later from the French colonization, also settled in the area. After settling in Louisiana, some of the Cotttingames eventually migrated to Texas and Mississippi.

The Cottingame surname is also present in other states such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, as well as in other countries such as Canada, England, Mexico and Australia.

Variations of the surname Cottingame

The surname Cottingame is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. Its variants and spellings vary from region to region and over time, but they all generally share the same root.

The most common variants of Cottingame/Cottingham include Cotenham, Cotingham, Cottingham, Cottam, and Cottinghame. A less common variant is Cotyngham.

Derived surnames include Cottingim, Cottingum, Cottinghams, Cottenham, Cottinham, Cotenhams, and Cothyngham.

There are also some notable variations from the spelling, including Cottonham, Cottinam, and Coitenham.

Surname variants offer a glimpse into the history of the Cottingame surname. These variations provide an indication of where the family originated from and how its spelling changed over time. While some may have originated from earlier Anglicized forms, others may have changed their spelling over the centuries.

The Cottingame name is believed to have originated in the English county of East Anglia, now part of East Midlands. It is likely that the name was derived from a place name in this region, such as Cotingham or Cottingham; an area where some of the earliest records of the surname exist.

The Cottingame name may also have Celtic roots, with the first recorded spelling of the name being Cottingher in 1203. It is possible that the earliest name holders used the more traditional Gaelic spelling of Cottenham, which means “town of the Cotts”.

Overall, the surname Cottingame and its variants reveal a significant amount of history and provide a unique glimpse into the past.

Famous people with the name Cottingame

• Harry Cottingame: British rugby player and cricketer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century.
• Geoffrey Cottingame: British sculptor who is best known for his public works in London, including a bust of the renowned author Thomas Hardy which was placed in London’s Poets Corner.
• William Cottingame: English soldier and landowner who served as High Sheriff of Sussex in 1896.
• Robert Cottingame: British airman who fought in the First World War, winning the Military Cross for gallantry in 1915 for his work in protecting the retreat of British troops from Gallipoli.
• Arthur Cottingame: British politician, who was elected to the House of Commons in 1906 as a Liberal-Unionist.
• Gwendoline Cottingame: British novelist and playwright whose works include The Vanishing Alchemist (1934), Dark Tides (1938), and Riders of Passion (1940).
• Nicky Cottingame: British fashion designer, known for her ready-to-wear designs which focus on upcycling and sustainable methods, such as vintage pieces and re-imagined fabrics.
• Evelyn Cottingame: English folk singer popular in the 1950s and 60s, whose recordings of traditional songs such as “The White Cockade” and “The Tattoo” are still regularly performed today.

Other surnames

CottingamCottinghamCottingim