Cota
A surname with several possible roots, including a place-based meaning in Romance and an old Roman family name.
The #3,120 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,722 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Cota is not straightforward to pin down to one source. In Spanish materials, it appears as an old surname and may relate to the medieval word cota, meaning a coat of mail or protective garment, though some traditions also connect it with older place-based or descriptive forms. The classical Latin name Cotta is another possible source in some families, while older Celtic and Romance words with similar spelling could also have influenced the surname in different regions.
History
Historical references show Cota in Spanish surname lists and as a known Roman cognomen in the form Cotta. Because the spelling is simple and widespread, it may have arisen independently in more than one place, especially in Iberian and Latin-influenced naming traditions. Modern bearers in the United States may therefore descend from different lines with different origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same spelling, cota, also turns up in older Spanish as a word for armor or mail, which is one reason surname etymologies for this name can be tricky.
From the historical record
“gaélique coite, cot^ se disent pour chaumière. On rencontre encore le même mot, avec le même sens, en bas-lat. Ducange, en effet, définit cota : tuguriuro, latibulum. De cota est venu un autre mot bas-lat. coteria , association de villageois pour l'exploitation en commun d'un domaine seigneurial, à charge de cens…”
— Noms de famille normands