Origins of the Cook surname

What does the name Cook mean?

The Cook surname comes from Old English, and is common throughout the English-speaking world. The origins of the surname Cook are occupational, derived from the word 'coc'. This name could be used to describe someone who not only cooked, but sold cooked meat, or ran an inn or eating-house.

Alternative variations of the name Cook

Cook, Cooke, Couk, Cock, Coocke

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Delve deeper into the Cook family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 3462North West 900Isle of Man 20Yorkshire 3737East Midlands 2362West Midlands 1991East 4403London 12044South East 5620South West 2752South Wales 1031Mid Wales 60West Wales 14North Wales 62Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Cooks lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

98,000 Cook Travel & migration records
590,000 Cooks found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Cook

How common is your surname?

44th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Cook surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Cooks most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Cooks.

What are the most common Cook first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Cook family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Cooks

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Cooks in 1921

Dressmaker

2,541

Laundress

1,854

Domestic Servant

1,602

General Servant Domestic

1,429

House Servant

1,299

Common male occupations for Cooks in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

3,689

Coal Miner

2,543

General Labourer

2,399

Farm Labourer

1,993

Carpenter

1,651

We found over 760,000 family trees with the Cook surname

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