2000
#514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.59
Uncommon Last name
Cochran
Derived from a place name meaning "the roaring stream," likely referring to someone living near a fast-moving river or creek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 64,623 Americans carry the last name Cochran. That puts it at #581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cochran surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cochran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
65K
1 in 5,304
Census rank
#581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 56,354 bearers of the surname Cochran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochran, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cochran
The surname Cochran is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ochógan," meaning "descendant of the young one." The name is believed to have originated in the region of Ayrshire in southwestern Scotland during the early Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with references in several Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Coughran, mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage renderings to King Edward I of England.
The surname Cochran is also linked to several place names in Scotland, such as Cochrane in Renfrewshire and Cochran in Dumfriesshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the connections between families and the lands they owned or occupied.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Cochran. One of the most prominent was Robert Cochran (c. 1440-1482), a Scottish courtier and favorite of King James III, who was eventually executed for treason. Another notable figure was Robert Cochran (1758-1826), a Scottish-American soldier and politician who served as a brigadier general during the American Revolutionary War.
In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with the Scottish author William Cochrane (1605-1685), best known for his theological works. The name has also graced the pages of history through individuals like Sir Ralph Cochrane (1609-1680), a Scottish soldier and landowner, and Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1775-1860), a renowned British naval officer and radical politician.
Other notable bearers of the surname Cochran include Robert Cochran (1914-2006), an American film and television writer and producer known for his work on iconic shows like "The Fugitive" and "Columbo," and John Cochran (1813-1898), a Scottish-American chemist and geologist who served as the president of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cochran
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochran, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cochran bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cochran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 46,309
- Black or African American8.9% · 5,001
- Two or more races4.1% · 2,322
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,764
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 643
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 315
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cochran
Cochran appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,350
+1,117 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 20.12
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,354
-2,996 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 18.85
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #514 | 58,233 | 21.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #567 | 59,350 | 20.12 | +1,117 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #581 | 56,354 | 18.85 | -2,996 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cochran surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #567 | #581 | -2.5% |
| Count | 59,350 | 56,354 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 20.12 | 18.85 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cochran bearers went from 59,350 to 56,354 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #567 to #581.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cochran
FAQ
Cochran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cochran?
Name Census estimates that about 64,623 living Americans carry the surname Cochran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,304 residents.
How common is Cochran?
Cochran ranks #581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 56,354 people with the surname Cochran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (64,623), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Cochran.
Has Cochran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cochran went from 59,350 recorded bearers to 56,354. That is a decrease of 2,996 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #567 to #581.
What does the Census say about the background of Cochran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochran, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cochran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (46,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cochran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cochran (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cochran mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the roaring stream," likely referring to someone living near a fast-moving river or creek. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cochran (18.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Cochran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.