"What's in a Name" Surname Index

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What's in a Name ?

COX (Part One)

Are you called Cox?

Several readers (Great Longstone, Bakewell) have approached the "Peak Advertiser" about this name. As a starter, "Cox" is certainly one of the most widely distributed names in the kingdom - there arc over 500 entries in the local directories.

It is obviously a variation on "Cocks" but its association with that farm-yard creature lies largely within the similarity of sound and spelling. Of the half-dozen or so of accredited sources, only one is immediately identifiable with a Rooster (Inn Sign). The rest are not connected or have only indirect bearings.

Apart from variations such as "Cocke", "Coxe", "Coke" etc. there are innumerable spin-offs by way of "Cookson", "Coxen" and "Coxon" while even further down the line we encounter "Simcock", "Hitchock", "Wilcox" etc. But these forms lie outside the scope of the present feature.

One suggestion is that perhaps "Cox" has something to do with sailing. It is certainly very tempting to look towards such maritime expressions as "Cox" and "Coxswain". The latter generally refers to an ordinary seaman in charge of craft when a superior officer is absent. The former word ("Cox") is its abbreviation and now applies to the steersman of a racing-boat.

The unit "cox" is admittedly built upon "cock" but that word described types of vessel intended to transport goods. They bore a fanciful resemblance to a gigantic barrel (i.e. keg) out of which "cox", "cog" and "cogue" emerged. In English sea-faring vocabulary the world "cock" was gradually extended to ally small ship's-boat. It then doubled up as "cock-boat".

Its application to surnames is however, inconclusive because the dates don't tally. The expression "cockswain" first appears in print in 1463 and "coxswain" not until 1626. And, surprisingly, "cox" with the rowing boat links - not until 1869. These usages just can't be reconciled with the surnames which can be traced centuries earlier. In addition, the names are recorded in places too far inland to have any feasible maritime significance.

Hence, although it is possible for a few localised occupational surnames to have evolved, there is room for doubt.

Another interpretation lies behind the Old English word "cock" which meant "to fight". In an early translation (1300) of the Bible, for example, Psalm 144 which begins, "Blessed be the Lord.,.(who).. teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight" appears as 'Blessid Lauerd… that lernes right Mi hende at cocke and mi fingres at fight".

There is some credibility in the notion that that "cock" in this sense could be related to Old Irish terms such as "cog-aim" meaning, "I fight". As such it might have passed on as a sort of nick-name to members of a community who were quarrelsome and prone to fisticuffs.

People who have Irish connections might care to follow up this lead. But caution is advised. Their name could just as well be an Anglicised rendering of the name "MacQuilley" which in turn was derived from the Gaelic "Mac an Conchiolle" meaning "the son of the Wild Dog". This was later confused with another Gaelic word "coileach" which does, in fact, mean "a cockerel". To assist research it may be mentioned that the name centres on the counties of Monahan, Fermanagh and Roscommon.

Readers who lay claim to Welsh or Cornish ancestry might possible consider whether their name has been derived from "coch" which means "red". No doubt an individual with red or auburn colouring would have been most distinctive amidst a Celtic Community where dark hair was the norm. Its more familiar form is in the surnames "Gough" or "Goff".

While on the subject of foreign names, it should be noted that "Cocks" or "Cox" could have been modified or adopted by immigrants who bore names such as "Kok" (German), "Colt" (Dutch), "Kuchta" (Slovakian), "Coci" (Italian) etc. These modifications are interesting but lie outside the scope of the development of the surnames under discussion, whose sources pre-date them considerably.

Finally an alternative explanation may be sought in the occupational name, "Cook". During the Middle Ages not only was a cook very well-established in great households (ranking second only to "Clerk" in a list of occupational surnames) but also have a very well-recognised place in the community. In Old English the basic word was "coc" which passed through the Medieval Latin "coccus" having been derived from the Classical Latin "coquus".

In ancient Rome a place where ready-cooked food was obtainable was called a "popina" and it had its counter-part in Medieval settlements by way of a "Cook's Shop". Here people could carry their own food to be cooked for them or purchase meals already made-up. It was a desirable arrangement since by concentrating ovens in limited places, the danger of fire was considerably reduced. In a Latin dictionary compiled in 1532 there is to be found this entry:- "Cokes Shope - Popina" or, "Ye Olde Englysshe Tayke-Awaye"!

It certainly generated very early surnames. As far back as 950 we encounter Elfsige ye Coc in Wiltshire. However unless there is some external supporting evidence it is now extremely difficult to determine whether the bearer of the surname of "Cocks" or "Cox" derived his or her name from their occupation. Had it not been for additionally information the surname of Joan Cokes of Sussex, a cook, would have remained as much a mystery as that of Petronilla Cockes of Worcester, although both were recorded in 1327.

To be continued.

© Desmond Holden
From "The Peak Advertiser", 10th August 1998.

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