Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cossebi 1086 DB Hy2 Dugd 1207 GildR

• Cosseby c.1130 LeicSurv c.1200 LCDeeds 1406 Ferrers 1504 Banco

• Cosbi 1086 DB

• Cosby 1502 MiscAccts 1505 Ipm

• Coseby 1212,1261 Cur

Etymology

Either 'the farmstead or village of a man called Kofsi or Kopsi ', with a Scand masc. pers.n., or 'the farmstead or village of a man called Cosa or Cossa', with an unrecorded OE  masc. pers.n. Cos (s )a which appears in such place-names as Cosham (Ha 59), Corsham (W 95) and Cossington (Lei 359), v. bȳ . It should be noted, however, that in the case of a Scand  masc. pers.n. Kofsi or Kopsi , fs or ps would have been expected to leave some trace in early forms, although their assimilation to ss would be regular.