We report here the influence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) cationic surfactant in the synthesis of cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) nanoparticles via sol-gel method and hence the influence on the structural, morphological and magnetic properties. The formation of single cubic spinel structured pure and CTAB assisted CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was confirmed using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Fourier transform infrared measurements (FTIR) between 400 and 4000 cm^-1 confirmed the intrinsic cation vibration modes of spinel structure. Five Raman active modes of pure and CTAB assisted cobalt ferrite were observed from the analysis of Raman spectra. High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) analysis exposed the morphology of as synthesized nanoparticles. No significant changes in Saturation magnetization (Ms), coercivity (Hc) and retentivity (Mr) were noted with the addition of CTAB.