From Middle English 'cokeney' (cock's egg, a misshapen egg), used to mock soft city dwellers before becoming an East London identity.
A native of East London, traditionally one born within earshot of Bow Bells; the dialect spoken by such people.
From Middle English 'cokeney,' literally 'cock's egg' — a small, misshapen egg laid by a young hen. It was used as an insult meaning a spoiled, soft city person (as opposed to tough rural folk), then narrowed to specifically mean a Londoner. Key roots: cok (Middle English: "cock, rooster"), ey (Middle English: "egg").
A 'cockney' is a deformed egg. Middle English 'cokeney' (cock's egg) referred to a small, defective egg, then became slang for a pampered city weakling who didn't know about real country life. Rural people used it to mock soft Londoners. Eventually Londoners embraced it, and the insult became an identity. Rhyming