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Cotten Family History

Cotten Name Meaning

English (southern): variant of Cotton . Altered form of German Kotten a habitational name from any of several places so named in Rhineland Westphalia Silesia etc. or perhaps an American shortened form of composite German surnames such as Kottenhagen Kottenhoff Kottenkamp (see Koth ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Holten, Cotter, Cotton, Botten, Coates, Cott, Osten, Kitten, Colten

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Cotten family from?

You can see how Cotten families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cotten family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cotten families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 7 Cotten families living in New York. This was about 16% of all the recorded Cotten's in USA. New York had the highest population of Cotten families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cotten surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Cotten ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Cotten. 23% of Cotten men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Cotten women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cotten were Truck Driver and Cook. .

View Census Data for Cotten | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    23%
  • Laborer
    17%
  • Salesman
    11%
  • Truck Driver
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    15%
  • Maid
    13%
  • Housewife
    10%
  • Cook
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Cotten family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Cotten. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cotten census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Cotten

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Cotten. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Cotten immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Cotten. For the veterans among your Cotten ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cotten military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cotten family history

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What is the average Cotten lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Cotten life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Cotten in 1943 was 21, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cotten

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Cotten family tree

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