Bill Cosby Genealogy
(aka, William Henry Cosby)Are You Related?

A stand-up comedian, actor, television producer, author, doctor of education, and activist, Bill Cosby was born July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A seasoned standup performer, Cosby credits his start to San Francisco's the hungry i, though it was his role in I Spy (1965-1968) that brought him to national fame. It was one of the first shows to feature an African American as a lead and therefore was banned in many states in the South. Cosby went on to write and produce such classics as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, A Different World, and Kids Say the Darndest Things, though his most successful project to date is The Cosby Show, which ran for eight years and was the most popular show on television for five of those. It is also credited for reviving the television sitcom and saving NBC's ratings, and paved the way for future sitcoms centering around a mostly African-American cast such as In Living Color and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Cosby earned his doctorate in education and has since gone on to produce, direct, host, and speak at various graduation commencement ceremonies.

Bill Cosby's last name, "Cosby," is an Anglo-Saxon name that comes from Leicestershire and means "Cossa's farm." Other spellings include, "Cosbie," "Cosbey," "Cosbye," and "Cossbye." The first Cosby of note to come to America was John Cosby in Virginia in 1654.