Coastal
A name referring to regions near the shoreline or coast.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Coastal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coastal today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coastal births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coastal. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Coastal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,571
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Coastal: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Coastal 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 Coastal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Coastal
The name Coastal is a relatively modern English name that has its origins in the early 20th century. It derives from the word "coast," which comes from the Old French "coste" and the Latin "costa," meaning "rib" or "side." The word "coast" eventually came to refer to the land adjacent to the sea.
One of the earliest recorded uses of Coastal as a first name dates back to 1902, when it was given to a child born in a coastal town in England. It is believed that the parents chose this name to reflect their appreciation for the beauty and importance of the coastline in their community.
In the early decades of the 20th century, Coastal remained an uncommon name, primarily used by families living in coastal regions of England and other parts of the British Isles. However, as the century progressed and the concept of coastal living became more desirable, the name gained popularity in other parts of the English-speaking world, particularly in coastal areas of North America and Australia.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Coastal was Coastal Townsend (1905-1987), an American sailor and author who wrote several books about his adventures at sea. Another prominent figure was Coastal Harrington (1917-2003), a British artist known for her seascapes and coastal landscapes.
In the world of literature, Coastal Pendergrass (1923-2001) was an American poet whose works often celebrated the beauty and power of the ocean. Coastal Watkins (1935-2019) was a Canadian environmentalist who dedicated her life to protecting coastal ecosystems and raising awareness about the impact of human activities on marine life.
More recently, Coastal Emerson (born 1978) is an Australian surfer and environmentalist who has won multiple world championships and has been an outspoken advocate for protecting the world's oceans and beaches.
While Coastal remains an uncommon name, particularly outside of coastal regions, it has a unique and evocative quality that reflects a deep connection to the sea and the natural world.
People
Coastal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coastal 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
Coastal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coastal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coastal 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Coastal a common name?
We classify Coastal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coastal most popular?
The single biggest year for Coastal was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coastal is about 3 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 Coastal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coastal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coastal 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 Coastal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coastal 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 Coastal 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 are named Coastal?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Coastal at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.