An English surname, Cook denotes a man who sold cooked meats, or the keeper of an eating house. The Latin form was spelled ’coquet.’ It is from Old English term of ‘coc’ which means cook.

Another spellings for Cook are Koch, Cock, Cooker and Cooke.

Mostly along the eastern portion of England and most of London is where the Cook surname is located. It is a common surname in New Zealand, Australia and Canada due to the British influence in the 19th century.

Within the United States the Cook surname is strong in Illinois, Texas, New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Famous: Barbara Cook (singer and actress), Frederick Cook (explorer at the North Pole), James Cook (captain, English explorer), Peter Cook (comedian), Joseph Cook (prime minister of Australia), William Cook (founder of company making medical equipment) and Michael Cook (historian of Scottish & English background).