Coast
An English name referring to the edge of the land bordering water.
Name Census estimates that about 542 living Americans carry the first name Coast. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Coast today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coast births was 2024 (199 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coast. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Coast with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
542
~ 1 in 632,388 Americans
Peak year
2024
199 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,137
Tracked since 2014
Gender
Gender distribution for Coast
Coast leans heavily male at 89.9% of total registrations, but 55 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Coast as a male name
- Ranked #1,137 in 2024
- 184 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (184 births)
Coast as a female name
- Ranked #7,294 in 2024
- 15 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (15 births)
Popularity
Coast: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coast from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 479 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coast 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 Coast during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coasts live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. Florida, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Coast, while South Carolina, Oregon, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coast
The given name Coast is an unusual name with an intriguing history. It appears to have originated as a topographic surname derived from the Old English word "coste," meaning "coast" or "side." This surname likely referred to someone who lived near the coast or on the side of a hill or mountain. Over time, this surname evolved into a given name, although its origins as a surname indicate that it was not originally intended as a first name.
The earliest recorded instances of Coast as a given name date back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this first name was Coast Guardsman Robert Coast, who served in the United States Life-Saving Service (a precursor to the modern Coast Guard) in the 1870s. Another early bearer of the name was Coast Guard Admiral Frederick C. Coast, who served in the early 20th century and played a significant role in the development of the Coast Guard as a military force.
In literature, the name Coast appears in the works of American author Sinclair Lewis, who included minor characters with this first name in his novels "Main Street" (1920) and "Babbitt" (1922). However, it is unclear whether Lewis derived these character names from actual individuals or simply invented them for literary purposes.
One of the most notable individuals with the first name Coast was Coast Salish artist Coast Tsutakaw (1922-2008), a member of the Swinomish tribe in Washington state. Tsutakaw was renowned for his intricate wood carvings and totem poles, which helped preserve and promote the artistic traditions of the Coast Salish people.
Another individual of historical significance was Coast Guard Admiral Coast E. Richmond (1903-1985), who served as the 16th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1954 to 1962. Richmond played a crucial role in expanding the Coast Guard's responsibilities and modernizing its operations during the Cold War era.
While not as common as some other first names, Coast has been borne by a number of notable individuals throughout history, albeit primarily in the context of maritime and coastal communities. Its unique origins and associations with the sea and coastlines have made it a distinctive and memorable name, even if its usage has remained relatively limited.
People
Coast + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coast 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
Coast: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coast?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 542 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coast 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 632,388 US residents.
Is Coast a common name?
We classify Coast as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 545 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coast most popular?
The single biggest year for Coast was 2024, when 199 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coast is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Coast in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coast a male name?
Yes, 89.9% of people registered as Coast 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.
Is Coast still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coast in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Coast can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Coast as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.