Cotton (surname)

Cotton is an Anglo-Saxon surname, derived from place names such as Coton, Cottam and Cotham, which in turn are named for the Old English word cot meaning cottage or hut,[1] and as an (unrelated) French surname, from the diminutive of cotte, meaning coat of mail. Notable people with the surname include:

## Athletes

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* Amy Cotton (born 1980), Canadian judoka
* Bryce Cotton (born 1992), American professional basketball player
* Coby and Cory Cotton (born 1987), co-creators of Dude Perfect
* Craig Cotton (1947–2013), American football player
* Fran Cotton (born 1947), rugby footballer of the 1970s and 1980s
* Harold Cotton (cricketer) (1914–1966), Australian cricketer
* Harold Cotton (ice hockey) (1902–1984), Canadian ice hockey player
* Henry Cotton (golfer) (1907–1987), English golfer
* James Cotton (basketball) (born 1975), American basketball player
* James Cotton (gridiron football) (born 1978), American football player
* Jeff Cotton (American football) (born 1997), American football player
* Jharel Cotton (born 1992), American baseball player
* Keith Cotton (born 1942), rugby footballer of the 1960s and 1970s
* Lester Cotton (born 1996), American football player
* Paris Cotton (born 1989), American football player
* Schea Cotton (born 1978), American basketball player
* Terry Cotton (born 1946), English footballer

## Musicians

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* Billy Cotton (1899–1969), British band leader
* Gene Cotton (born 1944), American pop and folk singer-songwriter
* James Cotton (1935–2017), American blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter
* Jeff Cotton (born 1949), American rock guitarist
* Paul Cotton (1943–2021), American guitar player

## Politicians and nobility

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* Dorothy Cotton (1930–2018), American civil rights activist
* George W. Cotton (1821–1892), South Australian politician
* Norris Cotton (1900–1989), American politician
* Paul Cotton (diplomat) (born 1930), New Zealand diplomat
* Robert Bell Cotton (1859–1917), American politician
* The Cotton baronets
* Tom Cotton (born 1977), American politician

## Science and engineering

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* Aimé Cotton (1869–1951), French scientist
* Cotton effect, named after Aimé Cotton
* Cotton–Mouton effect, named after Aimé Cotton and Henri Mouton
* Sir Arthur Cotton (1803–1899), British general and engineer famous for his work in India
* Arthur Disbrowe Cotton (1879–1962), English plant pathologist, mycologist, phycologist, and botanist
* Bernard Charles Cotton (1905–1966), Australian malacologist
* Carl Cotton (1918–1971), American taxidermist
* Charles Cotton (geologist) (1885–1970), New Zealand geologist
* Émile Cotton (1872–1950), French mathematician, discoverer of the Cotton tensor
* F. Albert Cotton (1930–2007), American inorganic chemist
* Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington (1571–1631), antiquarian and bibliophile, creator of the basis of the British Library

## Television

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* Antony Cotton (born 1975), British actor, best known for his roles in Coronation Street and Queer as Folk (UK)
* Bill Cotton (1928–2008), British television executive
* Fearne Cotton (born 1981), English television presenter and radio 1 DJ

## Fictional

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* Dot Cotton, a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders
* Kathy Beale, a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders

## Other

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* Charles Cotton (1630–1687), poet
* Charles Cotton (disambiguation), several people
* David Cotton (born 1950/1951), American billionaire businessman
* Frederick Conyers Cotton (1807–1901), British Indian army officer
* John Cotton (minister) (1585–1652), clergyman, grandfather of Cotton Mather
* Mary Ann Cotton (1832–1873), British serial killer
* Richard Lynch Cotton (1794–1880), British vicar and university administrator
* Robert Cotton (disambiguation), several people
* Sarah Cotton (1815–1878), British wife of the academic and medic Sir Henry Acland, inspiration for the Acland Hospital
* Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere (1773-1865), British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator
* Sir Sydney Cotton (1792–1874), British Army officer.
* Thomas Cotton, several people
* William Cotton (disambiguation), several people

## See also

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* Cotton (disambiguation)
* Cotton (nickname)
* Coton (disambiguation)
* Cotten

## References

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1. ^ Hanks, Patrick (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname Cotton.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.