Coe
A Middle English surname referring to someone who lived by a quay or inlet.
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the first name Coe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coe today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coe births was 2024 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coe. 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
192
~ 1 in 1,785,179 Americans
Peak year
2024
20 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,902
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Coe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coe from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 70 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
Coe 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 Coe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Coe
The name Coe has its origins in Old English, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era in Britain. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cu," which means "cow." In those times, the name likely referred to someone who tended cattle or worked with cows in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Coe can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name Coe appeared in various historical records and documents. One notable figure was Coe of Gaunt, a 13th-century English nobleman who served as a knight and soldier during the reign of King Edward I. He was recorded as participating in the Welsh Wars and the Scottish Wars of Independence.
During the Renaissance period, the name Coe gained some prominence in the arts. Coe Barker (c. 1510-1580) was an English playwright and poet who wrote several works for the Elizabethan stage. His most well-known play was "The Tragedie of Gorboduc," which is considered one of the earliest English Renaissance tragedies.
In the 17th century, Coe Felton (1628-1689) was a notable English merchant and philanthropist. He made a fortune in the cloth trade and used his wealth to establish several charitable institutions, including a school and an almshouse in his hometown of Felton, Northumberland.
The name Coe also has a significant literary connection. Coe Poe (1809-1849), better known as Edgar Allan Poe, was one of the most influential and renowned American writers and poets of the 19th century. His works, such as "The Raven," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Tell-Tale Heart," have become classics of Gothic and horror literature.
While the name Coe has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, artists, merchants, and writers. Its enduring presence, though modest, reflects its ancient Anglo-Saxon roots and the rich tapestry of English history and culture.
People
Coe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coe 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
Coe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 192 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coe 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 1,785,179 US residents.
Is Coe a common name?
We classify Coe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 220 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coe most popular?
The single biggest year for Coe was 2024, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coe is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Coe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coe 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.