Cotter is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

that originates in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. It can also be an

Anglicization Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

, chiefly in North America, of a similar-sounding

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

surname.

Origin of the name

The surname Cotter has several different origins. The English surname is a status name. This name is made up of the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

elements 'cot' "cottage", "hut" and the

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

''er''. In the

feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...

a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent). Reaney gives the surname deriving from the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

''cotier'' "cottager" (see:

villein A villein, otherwise known as ''cottar'' or '' crofter'', is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and social status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them ...

). Early bearers of the English surname are Robert le Robert ''le Cotier'' in 1198; and William ''le Coter''(''e'') in 1270 and 1297. The Irish name is a reduced

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...

'' Mac Oitir''. The

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is kno ...

''Oitir'' is the Gaelic form of the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

''Óttarr''. The Old Norse name is made up of the elements ''ótti'' "fear", "dread" and ''herr'' "army". An early Irish record of the name occurs in 1142, when '' Mac Mic Ottir .i. Ottir'' ("the son of Mac Ottir, i.e. Ottir") from the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

, is recorded to have assumed the Kingship of Dublin. See also: For the origins of the noble Irish family claiming descent from this king see: '' Cotter family''. Although unprovable, it is possible that both he and they are descendants of the famous

Ohthere of Hålogaland Ohthere of Hålogaland ( no, Ottar fra Hålogaland) was a Viking Age Norwegian seafarer known only from an account of his travels that he gave to King Alfred (r. 871–99) of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in about 890 AD. His account ...

, a great

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

adventurer who appears to have gone to Ireland. He is possibly the

Ottir Iarla Earl Ottir ( non, Óttar jarl; lat-med, Oter comes, lit=Count Oter; died 918), also known as Ottir the Black ( sga, Ottir Dub), was a jarl who occupied a prominent position among the Norse of Britain and Ireland in the early 10th century. He is ...

or Earl Ottir mentioned in the ''

Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, beginnin ...

'', or at least related to him. The surname can in some cases, mostly in the US and Canada, be an

Americanization Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, te ...

of the German surname '' Kotter''.

Similar surnames

Similar, or related surnames include: '' Coates'', '' Cottier'', ''Kotter''. ''Cotter'' can be rendered into the Irish language as '' Mac Coitir'' and ''Mac Oitir''.

Distribution

According to MacLysaght who wrote in the mid 20th century, the Irish surname of ''Cotter'' was peculiar to

Co Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

. There are at least eight place names in Co Cork which incorporate the surname (for example: Ballymacotters near

Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic diocese. St Colman's Ca ...

List of persons with the surname

Andrew Cotter Andrew Douglas Millar Cotter (born 20 July 1973) is a Scottish sports broadcaster working primarily for the BBC, covering mainly golf and rugby union, but also tennis, athletics and The Boat Race. Personal life Cotter is from Troon in Ayrshir ...

(born 1973), Scottish sports broadcaster * Bill Cotter (born 1943), former Irish Fine Gael politician * Brian Cotter, Baron Cotter (born 1936), United Kingdom politician * Brigid Cotter (1921–1978), Irish and English barrister and chemist. * Cornelius P. Cotter, American professor of political science at Stanford University * Dan Cotter (1867–1935), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Ed Cotter (1904–1959), American Major League Baseball player * Edmond Cotter (1852–1934), British soldier who played in the 1872 FA Cup Final * Edmund Cotter (1927–2017), New Zealand mountaineer * Edward Cotter (politician) (1902–1972), Irish Fianna Fáil politician * Eliza Taylor-Cotter (born 1989), Australian actress * Garrett Cotter (1802–1886), Australian convict * Imogen Cotter (born 1993), Irish cyclist *

James Cotter (judge) James Cotter (1772 – January 18, 1849) was a farmer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in New York state in 1772, the son of a United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific tit ...

(1772–1849), farmer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada * James Cotter the Younger (1689–1720), son of James Fitz Edmond Cotter * James Fitz Edmond Cotter (–1705), commander-in-chief of King James's forces, in the Counties of Cork, Limerick, and Kerry * Jim Cotter (born 1964), Irish-born American writer, journalist, and broadcaster. * Jeremy Cotter (born 1967/1968) New Zealand rugby union coach * John P. Cotter (1911–1993), Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court *

Joseph Bernard Cotter Joseph Bernard Cotter (November 19, 1844 – June 27, 1909) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Winona in Minnesota from 1889 to 1909. Biography Early life Joseph Cotte ...

(1844–1909), American priest and first Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona * Joseph Henry Cotter (1872—1937), Canadian politician in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1927 to 1932 *

Joseph Seamon Cotter Sr. Joseph Seamon Cotter Sr. (February 2, 1861 – March 14, 1949) was a poet, writer, playwright, and community leader raised in Louisville, Kentucky (but born in Nelson County, Kentucky).Ward, William S. ''A Literary History of Kentucky''. Kno ...

(1861–1949), American poet, writer, playwright * Mick Cotter (born 1935), retired Australian politician * Patricia O'Brien Cotter (fl. 1970s–2010s), Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court * Richard D Cotter (1842–1927), Irish-American member of the first California Geological Survey *

Tibby Cotter Albert "Tibby" Cotter (3 December 1883 – 31 October 1917) was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1904 and 1912. He served in World War I with the First Australian Imperial Force and was killed in action in the mou ...

(1884–1917), Australian cricketer * Tom Cotter (comedian) (born 1963), American comedian * Tom Cotter (baseball) (1866–1906), American Major League Baseball catcher * Tom Cotter (environmentalist) (born 1972), American environmental advocate and community organizer *

Vern Cotter Vern is a masculine given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Vernon, Lavern or other names. People named Vern include: * Vernon Vern Bakalich (1929–2015), New Zealand rugby league player * Verdi Vern Barberis (1928–2005), Australian ...

(born 1962), New Zealand rugby union player and coach * Wayne Cotter, American stand-up comedian * William Richard Cotter (1883–1916), English soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross * William R. Cotter (politician) (1926–1981), Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut * William Timothy Cotter (1866–1940), Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth (1910–1940)

List of persons with the given name

Cotter Smith Joseph Cotter Smith (born May 29, 1949) is an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life He was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Madeline (née Cotter) and John Lewis Smith, Jr., who was a federal judge. He graduated from the ...

(born 1949), American actor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotter (Surname) Surnames