This ancient and distinguished surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century male given name "Cuthbeald", composed of the elements "cuth", famous, renowned, and "beald", bold, brave. One Cotebaldus de Wigornia was noted in Records of Dublin, dated 1200, indicating that the medieval forms of the personal name included: Cotebald, Cutebald and Cubald. The surname has the distinction of being first recorded in the Domesday Book (below), and further early examples include: Ricardus Cubaldus (Herefordshire, 1174); John Cubald (Lincolnshire, 1219); and John Cobald (Suffolk, 1309). Surnames derived from given names are the oldest and most pervasive surname type, and in vernacular naming traditions (as distinct from religious), names were originally composed of vocabulary elements of the local language, and no doubt, bestowed for their auspicious connotations. The surname is now most widespread in East Anglia and is variously spelt: Cob(b)old and Cob(b)ald. On August 13th 1546, William, son of John Cobbold, was christened at Burstall, Suffolk. A Coat of Arms granted to the Cobbold family of Ipswick is a gold shield with a black chevron between three green holly leaves, on a chief of the second a lion passant guardant between two silver fleurs-de-lis, the Crest being a gold lion passant guardant, and the Motto, "Rebus angustis fortis", translates as, "Brave in adversity". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Aluuinus Cubold, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Northamptonshire, during the reign of King William 1, known as "William the Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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