Cox Name Meaning and Origin

There are several possible origins or meanings for the last name "Cox." Options include:

1. Form of COCK (little), a term of endearment (i.e. WILLCOX, little Will), often used to denote a leader or chief man.
2. Possibly originated from the Welsh word coch, meaning "red."
3. Cox could also be a locality descriptive surname for heap, haycock, or hillcock.

Last Name Statistics

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Meaning and Origin of the Last Name Cohen

By Kimberly Powell

Old and common last names are often difficult to define, research, or trace. Cox is the 78th most popular surname in the United States. Cox is also popular in England, coming in as the 52nd most common surname.

• Origin: English, French, Welsh, and/or Irish
• Alternate Spellings: Cocks

Genealogy Resources

• Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Cox surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Cox query.
• RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Cox surname.
• FamilySearch hosts records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Cox surname and its variations.

Resources and Further Reading

• Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.
• Cottle, Basil. The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Penguin, 1967.
• Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University, 1989.
• Hanks, Patrick, editor. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University, 2003.
• Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames. Bilingual ed., Avotaynu, 2005.
• Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical, 1997.