A name with a number of possible points of origin that include from ‘Covernan’, the name of a fierce Norse raider who settled in Scotland in the ninth century, ‘Cochrane’ features prominently in the nation's frequently turbulent historical record.
• Particularly identified with Renfrewshire, the family prospered over the centuries, accruing high honours and distinction along the way.
• Sir John Cochrane served as a colonel in the army of the ill-fated Charles I, while in 1699 Sir William Cochrane, Lord Cochrane of Ochiltree, was elevated to the peerage as Earl of Dundonald.
