Cotton is an Anglo-Saxon surname, derived from place names such as Coton, Cottam and Cotham, which in turn are named for the Old English word cot meaning cottage or hut,^[1] and as an (unrelated) French surname, from the diminutive of cotte, meaning coat of mail. Notable people with the surname include:

Athletes

• Amy Cotton (born 1980), Canadian judoka
• Coby and Cory Cotton (born 1987), co-creators of Dude Perfect
• Craig Cotton (1947–2013), American football player
• Fran Cotton (born 1947), rugby footballer of the 1970s and 1980s
• Harold Cotton (cricketer) (1914–1966), Australian cricketer
• Harold Cotton (ice hockey) (1902–1984), Canadian ice hockey player
• Henry Cotton (golfer) (1907–1987), English golfer
• James Cotton (basketball) (born 1975), American basketball player
• James Cotton (gridiron football) (born 1978), American football player
• Jeff Cotton (American football) (born 1997), American football player
• Jharel Cotton (born 1992), American baseball player
• Keith Cotton (born 1942), rugby footballer of the 1960s and 1970s
• Lester Cotton (born 1996), American football player
• Paris Cotton (born 1989), American football player
• Schea Cotton (born 1978), American basketball player
• Terry Cotton (born 1946), English footballer

Musicians

• Billy Cotton (1899–1969), British band leader
• Gene Cotton (born 1944), American pop and folk singer-songwriter
• James Cotton (1935–2017), American blues harmonica player, singer, songwriter
• Jeff Cotton (born 1949), American rock guitarist
• Paul Cotton (1943–2021), American guitar player

Politicians and nobility

• Dorothy Cotton (1930–2018), American civil rights activist
• George W. Cotton (1821–1892), South Australian politician
• Norris Cotton (1900–1989), American politician
• Paul Cotton (diplomat) (born 1930), New Zealand diplomat
• Robert Bell Cotton (1859–1917), American politician
• The Cotton baronets
• Tom Cotton (born 1977), American politician

Science and engineering

• Aimé Cotton (1869–1951), French scientist
  • Cotton effect, named after Aimé Cotton
  • Cotton–Mouton effect, named after Aimé Cotton and Henri Mouton
• Sir Arthur Cotton (1803–1899), British general and engineer famous for his work in India
• Arthur Disbrowe Cotton (1879–1962), English plant pathologist, mycologist, phycologist, and botanist
• Bernard Charles Cotton (1905–1966), Australian malacologist
• Carl Cotton (1918–1971), American taxidermist
• Charles Cotton (geologist) (1885–1970), New Zealand geologist
• Émile Cotton (1872–1950), French mathematician, discoverer of the Cotton tensor
• F. Albert Cotton (1930–2007), American inorganic chemist
• Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington (1571–1631), antiquarian and bibliophile, creator of the basis of the British Library

Television

• Antony Cotton (born 1975), British actor, best known for his roles in Coronation Street and Queer as Folk (UK)
• Bill Cotton (1928–2008), British television executive
• Fearne Cotton (born 1981), English television presenter and radio 1 DJ
• Dot Cotton (Eastenders)

Other

• Charles Cotton (1630–1687), poet
• Charles Cotton (disambiguation), several people
• David Cotton (born 1950/1951), American billionaire businessman
• Frederick Conyers Cotton (1807–1901), British Indian army officer
• John Cotton (minister) (1585–1652), clergyman, grandfather of Cotton Mather
• Mary Ann Cotton (1832–1873), British serial killer
• Richard Lynch Cotton (1794–1880), British vicar and university administrator
• Robert Cotton (disambiguation), several people
• Sarah Cotton (1815–1878), British wife of the academic and medic Sir Henry Acland, inspiration for the Acland Hospital
• Sir Sydney Cotton (1792–1874), British Army officer.
• Thomas Cotton, several people
• William Cotton (disambiguation), several people