Cokato Township was organized in 1868, and named for the Sioux language word meaning "at the middle".

[3] The 1896 Cokato Temperance Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 319 households, and 262 families residing in the township.

38.9% were of Finnish, 17.4% German, 15.0% Swedish, 8.4% Norwegian and 6.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

14.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.