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Home › Baby Names Directory › Cochise

Cochise

♂ Boy

Pronounced KOH-cheez

Meaning: strength of oak; having the quality of oak wood

In 30 seconds: Chiricahua Apache name meaning the quality or strength of oak — borne by the Chokonen band leader who led a decade of resistance after a military misunderstanding turned a peaceable neighbor into a formidable opponent.
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Origin Apache, Native American
Meaningstrength of oak; having the quality of oak wood
U.S. rank (2021)#12486 ↗ Rising
2021 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1978
Total births (all-time)≈ 76

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 197819542021

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Cochise (Apache Cheis or K'uu-ch'ish, also A-da-tli-chi meaning hardwood) was the leader of the Chokonen band of Chiricahua Apache, born around 1805. His name centers on the Chiricahua Apache word for oak, expressing the tree's hardness and endurance — qualities the name-giver hoped the child would embody. He married Dos-Teh-Seh, daughter of the powerful leader Mangas Coloradas, cementing a major alliance. The 1861 Bascom Affair sparked more than a decade of armed conflict. He made peace in 1872 through the mediation of his friend Thomas Jeffords and General Oliver Howard, and died on June 8, 1874, likely of abdominal cancer. Cochise County, Arizona is named for him.

Did you know? The 1861 Bascom Affair — in which Lt. George Bascom wrongly accused Cochise of kidnapping and detained his family — transformed a man described as peaceable into one of the most effective military leaders in the history of the American Southwest.
Cochise — Wikipedia — Documents Apache name forms (Cheis, A-da-tli-chi, K'uu-ch'ish), biography, and the 1861 Bascom AffairCochise: Great Apache Warrior — Notes from the Frontier — Confirms A-da-tli-chi = hardwood; biography summary

Variations

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Nicknames

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If you like Cochise…

Alchise— Attested White Mountain Apache name — a historical Apache scout and community leader from the same tradition
Alope— Chiricahua Apache feminine name meaning slender, from the same Apache cultural world
Dahteste— Chiricahua Apache warrior woman who served as interpreter in the same era as Cochise's sons
Lozen— Chiricahua Apache warrior-prophet who fought alongside Cochise's successors

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Frequently Asked

What does Cochise mean?

Cochise's name in Chiricahua Apache centers on the word for oak — recorded as Cheis (oak), A-da-tli-chi (hardwood), and K'uu-ch'ish. The common gloss strength of oak is an interpretive paraphrase of these literal oak/hardwood terms.

How do you pronounce Cochise?

koh-CHEESS — two syllables, stress on the second. The -e at the end is sounded.

Who was Cochise?

Cochise (c. 1805–1874) was the leader of the Chokonen band of Chiricahua Apache. A peaceable figure until the 1861 Bascom Affair wrongly accused him of kidnapping, he then led more than a decade of resistance before making peace in 1872. Cochise County, Arizona is named for him.

Is Cochise a boy or girl name?

Cochise is a masculine name, borne by a historical male leader.

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