# Cooke

Cooke is a surname of English and Irish origin derived from the occupation of cook and anglicisation of various Gaelic names. Variants include Cook and McCook.

## Irish surname origin

Cooke (rather than Cook) is the usual spelling of the surname in Ireland, where it is found throughout all four provinces. In Connacht, Cooke is the modern anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Dhabhóc (also called Mac Uag). In Leinster, it is mainly an occupational name, long established there. In 1465, a law was passed that impacted Gaelic surnames in several counties in Leinster, specifically, Dublin, Meath, Louth and Kildare. The law required that "every Irishman, dwelling betwixt or amongst Englishmen... shall take to him an English surname of one town, as Sutton, Chester, Trim, Skryne, Cork, Kinsale; or colour, as white, black, browne; or art or science, as smith or carpenter; or office, as cooke, butler...". In Ulster, many Cookes descend from the MacCooks (MacCuagh) of Kintyre, a branch of the Clan MacDonald.
The surname was distributed throughout Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century. The highest numbers of Cooke households were found in counties Cavan, Galway, and Armagh, reflecting a strong presence in both Connacht and Ulster. Other areas, such as Cork and Tipperary, also had significant numbers of households. Below is the detailed distribution of Cooke households by county:
Distribution of Cooke Households in Ireland (Mid-19th Century) :
| Cavan: 61 | Offaly: 18 |
| Galway: 51 | Leitrim: 17 |
| Armagh: 45 | Fermanagh: 15 |
| Tyrone: 43 | Down: 13 |
| Tipperary: 40 | Laois: 12 |
| Antrim: 34 | Monaghan: 11 |
| Cork: 34 | Kildare: 10 |
| Derry: 32 | Waterford: 9 |
| Westmeath: 31 | Louth: 8 |
| Kilkenny: 30 | Wicklow: 6 |
| Donegal: 26 | Kerry: 6 |
| Limerick: 26 | Longford: 6 |
| Wexford: 26 | Carlow: 6 |
| Dublin: 25 | Mayo: 3 |
| Sligo: 24 | Roscommon: 3 |
| Meath: 18 | |

## English surname origin

Cooke is a variant of the more common spelling Cook.

## People with the surname

Notable people with the surname include:
* Alec Cooke (1920-2007), Northern Irish politician
* Alexander Cooke (died 1614), English actor
* Alfred Tyrone Cooke, of the Indo-Pakistani wars
* Alistair Cooke KBE (1908–2004), British-American journalist and broadcaster
* Amos Starr Cooke (1810–1871), found of Royal School and Castle & Cooke in Hawaii
* Anna Rice Cooke (1853–1934), patron of the arts and founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts
* Anne Margaret Cooke (1907–1997) also known as Anne Cooke Reid, African-American stage director and academic
* Anthony Cooke (1505–1576), British scholar
* Aoife Cooke (born 1986), Irish long-distance runner and Olympian
* Baden Cooke (born 1978), Australian cyclist
* Barrie Cooke (1931–2014), Irish painter
* Bates Cooke, US Representative 1831–1833, and NY State Comptroller 1839–1841
* Benjamin Cooke (1734–1793), British musician
* Beryl Cooke (1906–2001), British actress
* Callie Cooke (born 1993), English actress
* Carolyn Jess-Cooke (born 1978) Northern Irish poet and novelist
* C. R. Cooke (Conrad Reginald Cooke, 1901–1996), English early Himalayan mountaineer
* Charles Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* Chauncey H. Cooke (1846–1919), American soldier in the U.S. Civil War
* Christian Cooke (born 1986), English actor
* Clarence Hyde Cooke (1876–1944), businessman in Hawaii
* Dave Cooke, Canadian politician
* Denise D'Ascenzo Cooke (1958–2019), American news anchor
* Derek Cooke (born 1991), basketball player for Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Deryck Cooke (1919–1975), British musicologist
* Doc Cook (Charles L. Cooke, 1891–1958), American jazz bandleader
* Douglas Graham Cooke (1895–1955), British World War I flying ace
* Dusty Cooke (1907–1987), American professional baseball player
* Eamonn Cooke (1936-2016) Irish broadcaster and convicted paedophile
* Ebenezer Cooke (1832–1907), Australian politician
* Edmund F. Cooke (1885–1967), US congressman from New York
* Edward Cooke, several people
* Emer Cooke (born 1961) Irish pharmacist and Executive Director of the EMA
* Eric Edgar Cooke, Australian murderer
* Francis Cooke, Passenger on the Mayflower
* Francis Judd Cooke (1910–1995), American composer
* Fred Cooke (born 1980) Irish comedian
* Gary Cooke, Irish actor, satirist and writer
* Geoff Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* George Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* Gordon Cooke, (born 1975) Irish cricketer
* Henry Cooke, (1788–1868) Irish Presbyterian minister
* H. Basil S. Cooke (1915–2018), Canadian paleontologist
* Hope Cooke, Queen of Sikkim
* Jack Kent Cooke (1912–1997), Canadian entrepreneur
* James Cooke-Collis (1876-1941) Irish born British Army General
* Sir James Douglas Cooke (1879–1949), MP for Hammersmith South
* James J. Cooke, American historian, author, academic and soldier
* James W. Cooke, American naval officer
* Janet Cooke (born 1954), American journalist, won a Pulitzer Prize for a fabricated story
* Jay Cooke (1821–1905), American financier, notable for financing Union effort in Civil War and Northern Pacific Railway
* Jennifer Cooke, actress
* Jim Cooke, Irish teacher of maths and physics
* John Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* John J. Cooke (actor) (1874-1921) American Actor of Silent Era
* John William Cooke (1919–1968), Argentine politician and revolutionary
* Joseph Platt Cooke (1730–1816), in American Revolutionary War
* L. J. Cooke (Louis Joseph Cooke, 1868–1943), first men's basketball coach at the University of Minnesota
* Lawrence H. Cooke (1914–2000), Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals 1979–1984
* Logan Cooke (born 1995), American football player
* Lorrin A. Cooke (1831–1902), American politician, governor of Connecticut
* Lloyd Miller Cooke (1916–2001) American chemist and researcher
* Marcia G. Cooke (1954-2023), American jurist
* Martin Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* Mary Leggett Cooke (1852-1938), American Unitarian minister and member of the Iowa Sisterhood
* Matt Cooke, hockey player
* Matthew Cooke (1829-1887), Irish entomologist
* Mel Cooke (1934–2013), New Zealand rugby league footballer
* Mick Cooke (born 1951), Irish association football manager
* Mildred Cooke (1524-1589) - was an English noblewoman and translator.
* Mordecai Cubitt Cooke (1825–1914), British botanist
* Nathaniel Cooke (19th century), designer of the standard set of chess figures
* Nelson Cooke (1919–2018), Australian cellist
* Nicole Cooke (born 1983), British cyclist
* Olivia Cooke (born 1993), English actress
* Peter Cooke (Scouting)
* Philip St. George Cooke (1809–1895), 19th century US cavalry officer
* Pinny Cooke (1923–2004), New York politician, assemblywoman from Rochester
* Ricky Cooke (born 1969), Australian racewalker
* Robin Cooke, Baron Cooke of Thorndon, New Zealand judge
* Rose Terry Cooke (1827–1892), American author, poet
* Ross Cooke (born 1988), English professional wrestler
* Sam Cooke (1931–1964), American singer/songwriter
* Sir Samuel Cooke (1912–1978), British judge
* Samuel Nathaniel Cooke (S. N. Cooke) (1883–1964), English architect
* Sarah Cooke (died 1688), English actress
* Sasha Cooke, American mezzo-soprano
* Senan Cooke (born 1945), Irish hurler
* Sidney Cooke (born 1927), paedophile and child killer
* Steve Cooke (born 1970), baseball player
* Tadhg Cooke, Irish musician
* Terence Cooke (1921–1983), Irish American Cardinal, and Archbishop of New York
* Theodore Cooke (1836-1910), Anglo-Irish engineer and botanist active in India
* Thomas Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* Thomas Simpson Cooke (1782-1848), Irish composer
* Tommy Cooke (1914-2014), Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer
* Trish Cooke (born 1962), children's TV presenter, author and playwright
* Ultan Cooke, Irish chef
* Walter E. Cooke (1910–1982), New York politician
* Walter H. Cooke (1838–1909), American recipient of the Medal of Honor
* Weldon B. Cooke (1884–1914), American pioneer aviator killed in crash
* Wells Cooke (1858–1916), American ornithologist
* William Cooke (disambiguation), several people
* Wilson Cooke (1819 –1887), American politician and merchant
* Zia Cooke (born 2001), American basketball player

## Fictional characters with the surname

* Caitlin Cooke, main character from the Canadian animated television series, 6teen.
* Sydney "Syd" Cooke, portrayed by Nia Peeples, a rookie Texas Ranger and main character in the American crime drama series, Walker, Texas Ranger.