The Cotter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,904 people carried this name — #3,010 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,800 people counted. That is down 1% from 11,977 in 2000.

See Cotter on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Cotter surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the cotter’.

An early record he cites: William le Cotiere, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Cotter, Cotman and Cottman.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 207 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 64 births for the Cotter name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “43 in Cork.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 58
Ulster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

288 people named Cotter live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Valais.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Valais 232
Vaud 22
Geneva 12
Fribourg 6
Neuchâtel 6
Bern 5
Lucerne 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 52 people named Cotter live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 20
City of Buenos Aires 18
Neuquén 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 28 people named Cotter.

12 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Jura.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 12
Jura 4
Seine-Maritime 4
Côtes-d’Armor 3
Paris 2
Ain 1
Creuse 1
Meurthe-et-Moselle 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Cotter in American newspapers,
1899.

Newspaper page from Delaware Gazette And State Journal carrying the name Cotter
Delaware Gazette And State Journal 1899-04-06
Newspaper page from Delaware Gazette And State Journal carrying the name Cotter
Delaware Gazette And State Journal 1899-03-30
Newspaper page from Delaware Gazette And State Journal carrying the name Cotter
Delaware Gazette And State Journal 1899-04-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Cotter in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

25,474 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cotter. The most, 5,621, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 10,463
New South Wales 7,554
Queensland 2,866
South Australia 2,048
Western Australia 1,594
Tasmania 567
ACT (Canberra) 310
Northern Territory 11

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cotter.

Who carried it

People named Cotter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Dave Cotter d. 2002 · rugby league player
  • Judith Williams d. 2022 · journalist
  • Agnes Kilgour d. 1846
  • Rosalind Coughtrie d. 1962
  • Matilda Sampayo d. 1830
  • Katharine Cotter d. 1916

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cotter,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,177 records

3,177 records of the Cotter name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,050
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 830
  • Other U.S. records 1,297
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Norman M. Cotter

    Born 1923 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1943 at Boston; sales clerk from Barnstable County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, Falmouth, Massachusetts.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ellen Cotter

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Redmond Cotter

    Born 1947; from Charlotte, Michigan. U.S. Marine Corps, assault amphibious vehicle crewman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,177 records for Cotter in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia891 records

891 records of the Cotter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 418
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 207
  • Other Australian records 266
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frances Sarah Cotter

    Died 1900 in Longford, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1900.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Cotter

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1853. Married 1853 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Eleanor Cotter

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Lucy Davidson, arriving 1829; ticket of leave 1834. Native of Cork, Bandon.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 891 records for Cotter in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada177 records

177 records of the Cotter name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 155
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • Other Canadian records 14
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Sara Elizabeth Cotter

    Died 1994, aged 80; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Anne Cotter

    Died 1932 in East Green Harbo, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record David Grenfell Cotter

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 177 records for Cotter in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand40 records

40 records of the Cotter name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 37
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Patrick Cotter

    Died 1943, aged 60; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Agnes Cotter

    Buried in 1903 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 35.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie John Cotter

    Died 2000, aged 46; buried at Avonhead Memorial Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Cotter in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands15 records

15 records of the Cotter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 8
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Harold Cecil Cotter

    Married in 1936 in 's-Gravenhage; ship's mate.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Dirk Cotter

    In the population register of Veere; shoemaker, born 1781.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mariade Cotter

    Married in 1683 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Cotter in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom13 records

13 records of the Cotter name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Cotter

    Corporal, Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. W. Cotter

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 13 records for Cotter in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France12 records

12 records of the Cotter name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Louise Cotter

    Born 1915 in Guéret (Creuse); died 1992 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Brian Cillian Vincent Cotter

    Born 1943 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Pierre Cotter

    Born 1908 in Paris; died 1980 in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Cotter in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany2 records

2 records of the Cotter name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Philipp Cotter

    From Neuhaus, Kreis Hochstadt, Bayern. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 15 October 1914 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 116).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Cotter

    From Steffitz, Militsch. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 August 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cotter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cotter is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Cotter volume
Scroll to Top