Coal
A masculine name of English origin meaning "glowing ember".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Coal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coal today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coal births was 2016 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coal. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
2016
14 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,128
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Coal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coal from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coal by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Coal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coal
The name Coal has its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the Proto-Germanic word "kul-". This word referred to the dark, burnable sedimentary rock that was commonly used as fuel for fire and heating. The name likely emerged as a descriptive name or a nickname for someone who worked with coal or had a dark complexion.
In the Middle Ages, the name Coal was occasionally used in various parts of Europe, particularly in areas where coal mining was a prominent industry. However, there are no definitive records of the name being widely used or appearing in significant historical texts or scriptures during this period.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Coal date back to the 16th century in England. One notable bearer of the name was Coal Greevy, an English coal miner born in 1572 in Nottinghamshire. He was known for his involvement in the development of early coal mining techniques and safety practices.
Another historical figure with the name Coal was Coal Hewitt (1592-1662), a Welsh farmer and landowner who played a role in the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and provided resources to the forces opposing King Charles I.
In the 18th century, Coal Jenkinson (1717-1788) was a notable English entrepreneur and industrialist who established several successful coal mining operations in the North of England. His business ventures contributed significantly to the growth of the coal industry during the Industrial Revolution.
During the 19th century, Coal Yates (1837-1912) was a prominent American labor leader and activist who fought for the rights of coal miners. He led several strikes and campaigns to improve working conditions and safety standards in the coal mining industry.
In the early 20th century, Coal Black (1901-1981) was a respected African American educator and civil rights advocate. He taught in segregated schools in the American South and worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for Black students.
While the name Coal has not been widely popular throughout history, it has been borne by individuals who made significant contributions in various fields, particularly in the coal mining industry and labor rights movements.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Coal
People
Coal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Coal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coal going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Coal a common name?
We classify Coal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coal most popular?
The single biggest year for Coal was 2016, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coal is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Coal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coal in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.