Personal. 'Cock,' a term of familiarity. There are over two columns of Coxes in London Directory The history of the name is interesting, and every stage can be proved conclusively. The natural pertness of boys, so like the habits of the strutting barn-door fowl, caused cock to be used much in the sense of our 'Well, old Cock, how are you?' There was an affinity between the boy in the scullery and the cock in the yard: both swaggered, and both could crow. In the Nun's PrieSt's Tale of Chaucer it is said of Chanticleer, 'Nothing ne list him thanne for to crow, Bat cried anon cok, cok, and up he sterte.'

Thus 'cock' became the general sobriquet of a sharp and forward lad. The farm-lad, the scullion, or the apprentice was ever 'Cock' by itself, or if attached to his Christian name, Jeff-cock, or Will-cock, or Bat-cock, or Han-cock. Thus we have the story of Cocke Lorelle, and the old nursery rhyme begins:

'Who killed Cock Robin?' Again, in Gammer Gurton's Needle (1566) the boy is simply 'Cock':

'My gammer is so out of course, And frantic all at once. That Cock, our boy, and I, poor wench, Have felt it on our bones.'

Sometimes the font-name was forgotten in the term, hence such entries as 'Item, to Cok, my servant, xxs' (Will of Roger Thornton, 1429: PPP.); 'Cok ffenwyk' and 'Cok Crissop.'

(Patent Roll, 13 and 14 Henry VII). 'Coc le Afeyte' was forbidden to live in London, 1369 (WWW.). The patronymic of this was Cocks or Cockson.

Coc de Slepe, Salop, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Edward Cockson. Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery, temp. Elizabeth I.

John Cockson. Index to Originalia et Memorandum.

Cok' Carnifer, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

These have become modernly Cox, Coxe, Coxon, and Coxen (compare Wilcoxon for Wilcockson, Dix and Dixon for Dicks and Dickson, Rix and Rixon for Ricks and Rickson, also cox-comb). One or two instances will suffice:

Thomas Kokson, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.Stolen from Fore bears

Cok Wighame, Northumberland, 1404: The History of Liddesdale and the Debatable Land.

Robert Cockson, or Cokson, or Coxson, or Coxon, sup. for B.A., Jan. 1555-6: Register of the University of Oxford.

'Walter Cocks or Cox, chaplain, sup. for B.C.L., 20 April, 1515: ibid.

John Cockis, or Coxe, allowed to determine Mich, term, 1546: ibid.

How popular Cock was, Cox and Coxe are sufficient proof. There are over 1000 Coxes in London commercial centres alone, counting five to a family. For compounds of Cock (v. above), such as Simcock and Simcox, Laycock, Pidcock, Mycock, Jeflcock, Sec, see these names in their proper places. It is clear that cork became, like kin, a pet desinence; and in the class of names I have just mentioned, must to all intents and purposes be considered as such. Certain sobriquets of a more or less depreciative character were similarly formed. Dawcock (i.e. Jack-daw) was an empty-headed noodle. In Appius and Virginia (1563) Mansipula says: 'My lady's great business belike is at an end: When you, goodman dawcock, lust for to wend.' An earlier form of 'Pillicock, Pillicock sate on a hill. If he's not gone he sits there still,' will be found in King Lear. A lobcock was a lubberly fellow. 'Baligant, an unweldie lubber, great lobcock' (Cotgrave). In 'Wily Beguiled' Will Cricket says to Churms, 'Why, since you were bombasted that your lubberly legs would not carry your Jobcock body." Meacock and nescock were effeminate fellows. In 'Wit without Money,' Valentine says, 'For then you are meacocks, fools, and miserable.' 'And shall I then, being fed with this hope, prove such amecockeora milkesop?' Greene's Gwydonius, 1593; ct Sweetcock (q.v).

See English Surn. under Cook, i. 165. Probably a synonym of Little. It may, however, be the same as Cook, from its latinized form, thus: Cocus, Cocks, Cox.

Cock, little—a term of endearment, a diminutive, the same as ot or kin, used as a termination, as Wittcox, little Will; Simcox, little Sim, etc. The word is also often used to denote a leader or chief man. Addison says: "Sir Andrew is the cock of the club."

Cox. —Though also scattered about the midland counties, Cox finds its great home in the south of England in the contiguous counties of Dorset and Somerset. It is fairly numerous in the counties of Gloucester, Oxford, and Warwickshire. Rare or absent in the north of England and in the eastern coast counties.