2000
#3,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Cochrane
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Cochrane in Renfrewshire, meaning "the Raven's hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,149 Americans carry the last name Cochrane. That puts it at #4,305 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cochrane 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 Cochrane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,464
Census rank
#4,305
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,978 bearers of the surname Cochrane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4305th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochrane, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cochrane
The surname Cochrane is of Scottish origin, with its earliest known bearers hailing from the region of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The name is derived from the Old Gaelic word "cochran," meaning "small red place" or "little red stream," referring to a geographical location associated with the family's ancestral lands.
The earliest recorded instance of the Cochrane name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls rendered to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland. One entry mentions a "William de Coughran" from Renfrewshire, likely an early variant spelling of the surname.
In the 14th century, the Cochrane family rose to prominence with the exploits of Sir Robert Cochrane, a renowned Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir Robert's bravery and loyalty earned him substantial land grants in Renfrewshire, cementing the family's ties to the region.
The Cochrane name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the late 15th century, with records indicating land holdings in the counties of Ayr and Renfrew. One notable figure from this period was William Cochrane, Lord of Cowdoun, who served as a diplomat and ambassador under King James III.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cochranes established themselves as a prominent noble family, with several members holding influential positions in the Scottish court and government. Sir William Cochrane (1605-1679), a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War, was appointed Lord Privy Seal of Scotland by King Charles II in recognition of his loyalty.
Another notable figure was Thomas Cochrane, 6th Earl of Dundonald (1689-1737), a Scottish nobleman and distinguished naval officer who served as Governor of Newfoundland and Commander-in-Chief of the North Sea Fleet. His descendant, Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald (1775-1860), was a renowned naval captain and radical politician who played a pivotal role in the Chilean War of Independence and the Greek War of Independence.
In later centuries, the Cochrane name continued to be associated with notable figures in various fields, including Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane (1758-1832), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, and Alva Cochrane (1885-1977), an American songwriter and composer best known for penning the classic "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cochrane
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochrane, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cochrane 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 Cochrane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 6,711
- Black or African American7.3% · 584
- Two or more races3.9% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 282
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cochrane
Cochrane 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
#4,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,355
+127 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 285 places
2020
#4,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,978
-377 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,961 | 8,228 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,246 | 8,355 | 2.83 | +127 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 285 places |
| 2020 | #4,305 | 7,978 | 2.67 | -377 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 59 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 Cochrane 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 | #4,246 | #4,305 | -1.4% |
| Count | 8,355 | 7,978 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.67 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cochrane bearers went from 8,355 to 7,978 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,246 to #4,305.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cochrane
FAQ
Cochrane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cochrane?
Name Census estimates that about 9,149 living Americans carry the surname Cochrane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,464 residents.
How common is Cochrane?
Cochrane ranks #4,305 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,978 people with the surname Cochrane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cochrane.
Has Cochrane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cochrane went from 8,355 recorded bearers to 7,978. That is a decrease of 377 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,246 to #4,305.
What does the Census say about the background of Cochrane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cochrane, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cochrane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (6,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cochrane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (7.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Cochrane (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 Cochrane mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the lands of Cochrane in Renfrewshire, meaning "the Raven's hill." 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 Cochrane (2.67 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 people are called Cochrane?
Find out how many people have the last name Cochrane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.