I’m 63, and I’ve known two Cottons in my lifetime. And I grew up in Bakersfield, CA, a pretty countryfied town at the time.
Then I just bought a guitar from a man named Cotton.
My question is, where did such a name come from?
And have you ever known a Cotton?
Personally, I like the name.
Peace,
mangeorge
Cotton Mather?
The most famous one in American history is Cotton Mather.
He was named for his grandfather, John Cotton. Giving sons last names as first names has been a common practice in American history.
Cotton is the name of Hank Hill’s dad on King of the Hill.
My childhood cat was named Cotton…because she was all white. Not sure why people are given it though.
Where did your name come from, Cotton I. Joe?
I lived with a guy in college who had the last name Cotton.
One of my grade-school friend’s father’s name was Cotton. This was in Orange County, California. It was not a nickname. Being a little kid, I didn’t really see the name as stranger than any other.
When I lived in Oklahoma there was a real estate agent (or maybe an insurance agent) with this name who had signs up everywhere. Didn’t know the guy personally.
So that’s two I’ve heard of, along with the famous Cotton Mather.
At one time I was actually thinking of using Cotton as my son’s middle name. I have heard it as a nickname. There was Lowell “Cotton” Fitzsimmons who was an NBA coach and in the movie “Dodgeball” there was a sports announcer named Cotton McKnight.
It’s origin, according to this baby name website:
The Little Rascals. Stymie’s little brothers were Farina and Cotton.
Cotton at least is a noun–look at Cotton Mather’s father’s name!!! Increase!!! That ought to have made for some awkward sentences:
“Mother, father, I want to marry Increase”
“Sure honey, thats a great place, great salad there and everything, but shouldn’t you decide WHO first?”
Cotton is also a nickname given to people who have very, very pale blonde hair. You know, they kind that looks white, like cotton? Most people’s hair darkens with age, but I’ve known someone who had hair that pale as a child.
In Cotton Mather’s case, the name was a surname turned into a Christian name. He was named for his grandfather John Cotton.
This would be the case with Mary Vivian Pearce’s characters Cotton in Pink Flamingos.
Cotton Hawes is a detective in the Ed McBain 87th Precient mysteries. He was named after the preacher, has a red hair with a white stripe where he was once knifed and the hair was shaved and grew back white. “Shows how scared I was.”
My dad’s nickname was “Cotton” because he had really pale blonde hair and also due to his having horrible ear infections that caused him to have to put cotton in his ears during the winter months to try and keep them down. For the longest time when I was a kid I thought that was his name!
Is that what happened with Bonnie Rait, who’s cool bluesy stylings I do love.
Cotton Smith is the president of the Western Writers of America.
You also have a funny reversal of history in a 19th century governor of Connecticut.
John Cotton Smith was the son of Cotton Mather Smith.
Cotton Mather’s father was Increase Mather. Styles in names have definitely changed.