In this work, we report on the preparation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant added cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) magnetic nanoparticles by a co-precipitation method at various concentrations (0.04, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16 and 0.20 M) of SDS. The formation of a single phase cubic spinel structure is confirmed by XRD analysis. FTIR study confirms the presence of Fe-O symmetrical stretching vibrations in the tetrahedral site. TEM images imply that the SDS surfactant significantly limits the agglomeration of CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. A dielectric study reveals that the SDS added CoFe 2 O 4 has a higher dielectric constant than that of pure CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements showed the enhanced saturation magnetization (138.75 emu g À1 ), coercivity (775.69 Oe) and retentivity (60.23 emu g À1 ) for 0.08 M SDS added CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. Further, the results obtained in the present study suggest that the surfactant can significantly modify the size and morphology of the prepared CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles.