[3] In 1465, a law was passed that impacted Gaelic surnames in several counties in Leinster, specifically, Dublin, Meath, Louth and Kildare.
The law required that "every Irishman, dwelling betwixt or amongst Englishmen... shall take to him an English surname of one town, as Sutton, Chester, Trim, Skryne, Cork, Kinsale; or colour, as white, black, browne; or art or science, as smith or carpenter; or office, as cooke, butler...".
[4] In Ulster, many Cookes descend from the MacCooks (MacCuagh) of Kintyre, a branch of the Clan MacDonald.
The highest numbers of Cooke households were found in counties Cavan, Galway, and Armagh, reflecting a strong presence in both Connacht and Ulster.
Other areas, such as Cork and Tipperary, also had significant numbers of households.