Vfrdtyky

Cox
The hills found in Carmarthenshire, Wales, where Cox may have been a topographic name for a man "from the red hills".
Pronunciation	/ˈkɒks/ KOKS
Language(s)	Old English or Welsh
Origin
Region of origin	England or Wales
Meaning	Possibly derived from cock or coch, and means "from the hills", or from cocc, which means "the little", or derived from coch, meaning "the Red."

The surname Cox is of English or Welsh origin, and may have originated independently in several places in Great Britain, with the variations arriving at a standard spelling only later. There are also two native Irish surnames which were anglicised into Cox.^[1][2][3]

An early record of the surname dates from 1556 with the marriage of Alicea Cox at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London.^[4] Cox is the 69th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.^[5]

Origin

One possibility of the origin is that it is a version of the Old English cocc which means "the little", and was sometimes put after the name of a leader or chieftain as a term of endearment. Surnames such as Wilcox, Willcocks and Willcox are examples of this practice: all are composed of the name William and the archaic word cocc, coming together to mean "little William". The suggestion is that only the element -cox may have endured as a surname for some families.

Another opinion is that the name is derived from the Old English cock, which means a "heap" or "mound", and was a topographic name for a man living near any heap, hill or other bundle. Names like Haycock or Haycox come from such practice, meaning from "the hay mounds" or "the hay fields". Again, the element -cox may have only been carried on in some families.

The third possibility is that it comes from the Welsh coch, meaning "red". In this opinion, the word could have either been applied to a man with red hair, calling him in essence "the Red", or else served as a topographic name for someone living near the ruddy-hued hills found in Wales, implying that the man is "from the red hills". In Cornwall, the surnames Cock and Couch (pronounced 'cooch') also derive from Cornish cogh "red, scarlet".

As a Cornish surname, Cock can also derive from 'cok', "fishing boat", the Cornish surname "Cocking" being the diminutive form 'cokyn', "small fishing boat". In these cases, the surname is likely to derive from occupation.

The English word "cock", meaning "rooster", is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word cocc, and a fourth possibility is that the surname came about as a nickname.

Another possibility is that the name is of Norman origin. In the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, Alric Le Coq was one of Duke William's companions.^[6] Alric was said to have been a "a strutting {as a rooster struts} Norman soldier ... who was nicknamed 'le coq' and his children 'little cockes.'"^[7] Le Coq could easily have been Anglicized to Cox as seen in the previous possibility.

The surname Cox is also native to Belgian and Dutch Limburg. This name, like the related Cockx, is a degenerate form of Cocceius, a latinization of Kok (English: cook).^[8][9]

Noticeably similar surnames include Cock, Cocks, Coxe, Coxen and Coxon. There is no evidence beyond similar spellings and phonetics that these surnames are related. Given that the origins of the Cox surname are uncertain, it is possible that these names developed as spelling variations, or that each of these names has an origin in a separate word and language.

The origins of the surname in North America are speculated across several written accounts, with most sources pointing toward three distinct families arriving from England in the 17th and 18th Centuries: in 1690, brothers Thomas, William, and Walter Cocke originally of Surry; in 1705, the family of Dr. Wilham Cocke of Williamsburg; and at an unknown time before 1658, Nicholas Cocke of Middlesex.^[10]

Notable people

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  Alan Cox (born 1968), leader in Linux


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  Alan Cox (radio personality) (born 1971), American radio personality


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  Alan Cox (actor) (born 1970), Anglo-Scottish actor


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  Alex Cox (born 1954), film director


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  Allan V. Cox (1926–1987), American geologist


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  Ana Marie Cox (born 1972), American blogger and author


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  André Cox (born 1954), General of The Salvation Army
  


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  Andy Cox (born 1956), British guitarist


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  Anne Cox Chambers (born 1919), media owner, daughter of James M. Cox


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  Anthony Cox (musician) (born 1954), jazz musician


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  Anthony Cox (producer), film producer and former husband of Yoko Ono


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  Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893–1971), British writer


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  Archibald Cox (1912–2004), U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy


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  Arthur Cox (actor) (born 1934), British actor


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  Arthur Cox (footballer) (born 1939), British football manager


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  Arthur Cox (ornithologist) (1870–1947), British ornithologist


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  Barbara Cox (writer), writer and script editor


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  Barbara Cox (footballer) (born 1947), New Zealand international women's football (soccer) player


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  Barbara Cox Anthony (1922–2007), Media owner, daughter of James M. Cox


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  Billy Cox (born 1941), American bass guitarist


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  Billy Cox (baseball) (1919–1978), American Major League Baseball middle infielder


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  Bobby Cox (born 1941), American baseball manager


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  Brad Cox, American computer scientist, developer of Objective-C


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  Brian Cox (disambiguation)
  
  
  
  • 
    Brian Cox (actor) (born 1946), Scottish actor
  
  
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    Brian Cox (physicist) (born 1968), British physicist
  
  
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    Bryan Cox (born 1968), American football player
  
  
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    Bryan-Michael Cox (born 1977), American songwriter
  
  
  
  


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  Calli Cox, American porn Actress


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  Carl Cox (born 1962), British musician


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  Catherine Cox (actress) (born 1950), American Actress


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  Catharine Elizabeth Bean Cox (1865–1964), American/Hawaiian art scholar


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  Cathy Cox (born 1958), American politician


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  Cedric Cox (1913–1993), technician and political figure


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  Cedric Cox (footballer) (born 1997), Australian rules footballer


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  Channing H. Cox (1879–1968), American politician


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  Charles Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Chip Cox (born 1983), American football player


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  Christopher Cox (born 1952), SEC chairman


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  Christopher Cox (born 1952),American Police officer


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  Chris Cox (DJ), dance music producer


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  Christina Cox (born 1971), Canadian actress


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  Christopher Augustus Cox (1889–1959), British soldier


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  Constance Cox (1912–1998), British scriptwriter


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  Courteney Cox (born 1964), American actress


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  Crystal Cox (born 1979), Olympic Gold Medallist and reality TV star


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  Curome Cox (born 1981), American football player


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  Daniel Cox (born 1990), British tennis player


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  Daniel Allen Cox (born 1976), Canadian author


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  Danielle Cox, Football player Sheffield FC Ladies FAWSL2, footballer


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  Dave Cox (1938–2010), American politician


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  David Cox (Australian politician), former member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Kingston
  


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  David Cox (artist) (1783–1859), prominent English landscape painter


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  David Cox (statistician) (born 1924), prominent British statistician


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  Dean Cox (born 1981), Australian rules footballer


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  Dean Cox (English footballer) (born 1987), English footballer


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  Deborah Cox (born 1971), Canadian singer


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  Demetrious Cox (born 1994), American football player


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  Dennis Cox (1925–2001), English cricketer and administrator


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  Derek Cox (born 1986), American football player


• Dewey Cox, a fictional musician and subject of the comedic film Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
  


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  Doc Cox (born 1946), British television personality, sound engineer and rude singer


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  Donna Cox, American Professor of Art


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  Edward Everett Cox (1867–1931), Indiana publisher and Democrat


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  Edward F. Cox (born 1946), keyboardist from Scottish band The Hurricanes


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  Edward F. Cox (born 1946), New York lawyer and potential politician


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  Edwin L. Cox, American oilman and philanthropist from Dallas, Texas.


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  Elbert Frank Cox (1895–1969), American mathematician


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  Emily Cox (disambiguation), several people
  
  
  
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    Emily Cox (actress) (born 1985), Austrian actress
  
  
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    Emily Cox (conductor), Australian conductor and Choir master
  
  
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    Emily Cox (puzzle writer), American puzzle writer
  
  
  
  


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  Eric Cox (1923–2006), Australian rugby league player, coach, referee and administrator


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  Ernest Cox (1883–1959), British engineer


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  Ethan Cox (born 1987), Canadian professional ice hockey player


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  Euan Hillhouse Methven Cox (1893–1977), English botanist


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  Eugene Saint Julien Cox (1834–1898), American politician


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  Eva Cox (born 1938), Australian writer and feminist


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  Francis William Cox (1817–1904), Congregationalist of Adelaide, South Australia


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  Fred Cox (born 1938), American football player


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  Freddie Cox (1920–1973), English football player


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  Gary W. Cox (born 1955), American political scientist


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  Geoffrey Cox (British politician) (born 1960), British barrister and politician


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  Geoffrey Cox (journalist) (1910–2008), British television journalist


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  George Cox (Ottawa politician) (1834–1909), mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, 1894


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  George Albertus Cox (1840–1914), Canadian capitalist and Senator


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  George William Cox (1827–1902), British historian


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  Geraldine Cox (born 1945), Australian orphanage administrator in Cambodia


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  Gerard Cox (born 1940), Dutch singer, cabaret artist and actor


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  Gertrude Mary Cox (1900–1978), American statistician


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  Greg Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Hardin Cox (1928–2013), American politician


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  Harold Cox (1859–1936), British politician


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  Harry Cox (1885–1971), British traditional singer


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  Harvey Cox (born 1929), American theologian


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  Heather Cox (singer), American Idol contestant


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  Homersham Cox (1821–1897), British judge


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  Homersham Cox (mathematician) (1857–1918), expatriate to India


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  H. R. Cox (1907–1986), American bacteriologist


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  Ida Cox (1896–1967), blues and jazz musician


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  Isaac Joslin Cox (1873–1956), American historian


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  Jacob Dolson Cox (1828–1900), American soldier and politician


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  Jack Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  James Cox (New Jersey) (1753–1810), member of the United States House of Representatives


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  James Allan Cox, American professional wrestler better known as James Storm


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  James Charles Cox (1834–1912), Australian physician and conchologist


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  James L. Cox, MD, American cardiothoracic surgeon


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  James M. Cox (1870–1957), American publisher and politician


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  James Renshaw Cox (1886–1951), American Catholic priest and activist


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  Jamie Cox (born 1969), Australian cricketer


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  Jan Cox (painter) (1919–1980), Dutch painter


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  Jennings Cox, American mining engineer and supposed inventor of the daiquiri


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  Jo Cox (1974–2016), British Labour Party politician, assassinated the week before the Brexit vote


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  John Cox (basketball, born 1981), Venezuelan basketball player


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  John Cox (Royal Navy officer) (1928–2006), British Royal Navy admiral


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  John Cox (cartoonist), an American cartoonist


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  John Cox (cricketer) (1823–1866), Tasmanian-Australian cricketer


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  John Arthur "Chubby" Cox III (born 1955), American basketball player


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  John B. Cox, British-Australian ornithologist


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  John Carrington Cox (born 1943), American professor and economist


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  John H. Cox (born 1955), Illinois politician, businessman, and radio host


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  John I. Cox (1855–1946), governor of Tennessee


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  John R. Cox, Jr. (1913–1995), the birth name of American actor John Howard


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  John Rogers Cox (1915–1990), American artist


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  John W. Cox Jr. (born 1947), Illinois lawyer and former Congressman, Democrat


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  Joseph Buford Cox (1905–2002), American inventor


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  Josephine Cox (born 1941), English author


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  Julianna Cox, fictional character from Homicide: Life on the Street
  


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  Julie Cox (born 1973), Scottish actress


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  Kathy Cox (born 1964), American politician


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  Kathy Cox (skydiver) (born 1951), Canadian skydiver


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  Keith Cox (1933–1998), British geologist

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  Kenny Ray Cox (born 1957), American politician and military officer


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  Kenyon Cox (1856–1919), American artist


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  Kristen Cox (born 1969), American politician


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  Kyoko Chan Cox, daughter of Anthony Cox and Yoko Ono


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  Laverne Cox, American actress and LGBT rights activist


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  Leroy (Roy) M. Cox, American entrepreneur


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  Leslie Reginald Cox (1897–1965), British malacologist


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  Lionel Cox (cyclist) (1930–2010), Australian track cyclist


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  Lionel Cox (sport shooter) (born 1981), Belgian sport shooter


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  Lynne Cox (born 1957), swimmer


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  Margaret Cox (born 1963), Irish politician


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  Marian Roalfe Cox (1860–1916), English folklorist


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  Marion Cox (1920–1996), former NASCAR car owner


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  Mark Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Mason Cox (born 1991), American player of Australian rules football


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  Mia Cox, American singer-songwriter


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  Michael Cox (bishop), Palmarian Archbishop


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  Michele Cox (born 1968), New Zealand international women's football (soccer) player


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  Michael J. Cox (born 1969), American pharmacist and biographer


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  Mike Cox (U.S. politician) (born 1961), American politician


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  Nicholas Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Nikki Cox (born 1978), American actress


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  Norm Cox (1925–2008), American football player


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  Oscar Cox (1880–1931), promoter of soccer in Brazil


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  Palmer Cox (1840–1924), Canadian inventor


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  Pat Cox (born 1952), former president of the European Parliament


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  Paul Cox (director) (1940–2016), Dutch-born Australian film director


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  Perrish Cox (born 1987), American football player


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  Percy Cox (1864–1937), British diplomat


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  Perry Cox, a fictional character on the TV series Scrubs
  


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  Peter Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Philip Cox (born 1939), Australian architect


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  Raymond Cox (1951-2017), American businessman and politician


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  Reg Cox, fictional character in East Enders soap opera


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  Renee Cox (born 1960), American artist and photographer


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  Richard Cox (bishop) (1500s–1581), Anglican bishop of the 16th century


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  Richard Cox (horticulturist) (1766–1845), English horticulturist who bred the apple varieties Cox's Orange Pippin and Cox's Pomona


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  Richard Colvin Cox (born 1928), disappeared American cadet


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  Richard Threlkeld Cox (1898–1991), physicist and statistician (Cox's theorem)


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  Robert E. Cox (1917–1989), American optical engineer and popularizer of amateur telescope making


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  Robert Edward Cox (1876–1937), American Medal of Honor recipient


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  Robert O. Cox (1917–2013), American mayor


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  Robert W. Cox (1926–2018), Canadian international relations academic


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  Ron Cox (racing driver) (born 1966), American driver


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  Ronny Cox (born 1938), American actor


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  Roxbee Cox, Lord Kings Norton, British aircraft engineer


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  Russell M. Cox (1919–1942), American navy officer


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  Samuel Cox (minister) (1826–1893), English Nonconformist minister


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  Samuel Hanson Cox (1793–1880), American Presbyterian theologian


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  Samuel S. Cox (1824–1889), American Congressman and diplomat


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  Sara Cox (born 1974), British presenter for the BBC


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  Shana Cox (born 1985), American track and field athlete


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  Sonia Cox (1936–2001), badminton and tennis player from New Zealand


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  Spencer Cox (disambiguation)
  
  
  
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    Spencer Cox (activist) (1968–2012), AIDS/HIV activist
  
  
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    Stephen Cox (cyclist) (born 1956), New Zealand cyclist
  
  
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    Spencer Cox (politician) (born 1975), Current Lieutenant Governor of Utah
  
  
  
  


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  Steve Cox (disambiguation)
  
  
  
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    Steve Cox (artist) (born 1958), Australian artist and writer
  
  
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    Steve Cox (American football) (born 1958), former American football punter and placekicker
  
  
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    Steve Cox (baseball) (born 1974), former first baseman in Major League Baseball
  
  
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    Steve Cox (wrestler) (born 1959), retired American professional wrestler
  
  
  
  


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  Susan Cox (artist) (born 1952), American visual artist


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  Tara Cox (born 1971), New Zealand international women's football (soccer) player


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  Ted Cox (baseball) (born 1955)


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  Ted Cox (American football) (1903–1989), American football and basketball player and coach


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  Terrance John Cox, also known as TJ Cox (born 1963), American engineer and politician


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  Terry Cox, folk rock drummer


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  Tiequon Cox (born 1965), American murderer


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  Thomas Cox (disambiguation), several people


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  Tony Cox (actor) (born 1958), American actor


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  Tony Cox (South African musician) (born 1954), guitarist based in South Africa


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  Tricia Nixon Cox (born 1946), wife of Edward F. Cox and daughter of Richard Nixon


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  Vaughan Cox (1860–1923), British general


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  Wally Cox (1924–1973), American actor


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  Wendell Cox, public policy consultant


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  William Cox (athlete) (1904–1996), United States Olympic medalist


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  William Cox (pioneer) (1764–1837), Australian road engineer


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  William Cox (governor) (born 1936), known as Bill Cox, Chief Justice and Lieutenant-Governor of Australian island state of Tasmania


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  William George Cox (died 1878), colonial official in British Columbia


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  William John Cox (born 1941), also known as Billy Jack, American lawyer, author and political activist


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  William R. Cox (writer) (1901–1988), American writer, pulp westerns and mysteries


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  William Ruffin Cox (1832–1919), American Confederate general in the Civil War, politician


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  William Sitgreaves Cox (1790–1874), court-martialled acting third lieutenant on the USS Chesapeake (1799)

Sources

• Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.


• Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.


• Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.


• Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

References

See also

• Cocks (surname)


• 
  Cockx, Flemish surname


• Cox (disambiguation)


• Coxe


• Kox

Surname list This page lists people with the surname Cox. 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.