Coleston
An English surname originating as a locational name.
Name Census estimates that about 174 living Americans carry the first name Coleston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coleston today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coleston births was 2012 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coleston. 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
174
~ 1 in 1,969,853 Americans
Peak year
2012
13 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,420
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Coleston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coleston from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 95 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Coleston remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coleston 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 Coleston 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 Coleston
The name Coleston is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English words "col" meaning coal or charcoal, and "tun" meaning a farm, village, or settlement. Thus, Coleston likely referred to a person or place associated with coal mining or charcoal production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Coleston can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This ancient document mentions a landowner named Coleston de Bosco, who held property in the county of Nottinghamshire.
During the 12th century, a monk named Coleston of Canterbury gained recognition for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. Born in 1125, he spent his life at the renowned St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury, where he authored several treatises that were widely studied in monastic circles.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Coleston de Nevill emerged as a prominent military commander during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He fought alongside King Edward III and was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Another notable bearer of the name Coleston was a 16th-century English explorer and navigator named Coleston Raleigh. Born in 1560, he accompanied his cousin Sir Walter Raleigh on several expeditions to the Americas, where he played a crucial role in establishing early English settlements in what is now Virginia.
In the realm of literature, a notable figure with the name Coleston was the 17th-century English poet and playwright Coleston Dryden. Born in 1631, he was a contemporary of John Dryden and is remembered for his contributions to the development of English drama during the Restoration period.
While the name Coleston has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its rich history and connections to various figures and events throughout the centuries make it a fascinating and intriguing name with deep roots in English culture and tradition.
People
Coleston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coleston 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
Coleston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coleston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 174 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coleston 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 1,969,853 US residents.
Is Coleston a common name?
We classify Coleston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 175 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coleston most popular?
The single biggest year for Coleston was 2012, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coleston is about 10 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 Coleston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coleston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coleston 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 Coleston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coleston 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 Coleston 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 common is the name Coleston?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Coleston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.