Coulson
Son of the dark person, derived from Cole and the suffix "son".
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the first name Coulson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coulson today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coulson births was 2015 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coulson. 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
456
~ 1 in 751,654 Americans
Peak year
2015
48 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,220
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Coulson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coulson 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 235 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Coulson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coulson 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 Coulson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coulsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the most babies named Coulson, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coulson
The given name Coulson has its origins in the Old French language, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "coulson," which means "son of the coal miner" or "son of the charcoal burner." The name was initially associated with the occupations of coal mining and charcoal production, which were prevalent in medieval France.
In the early days, the name Coulson was primarily found in regions of France where coal mining and charcoal production were common industries, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country. As people migrated and the name spread, it also gained popularity in other parts of Europe and eventually in the English-speaking world.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Coulson can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a person named "Coulson" who was a landowner in the county of Yorkshire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Coulson. One of the most famous was Sir John Coulson (1814-1888), a British civil engineer who made significant contributions to the construction of railways and bridges in the 19th century. Another notable figure was Coulson Kernahan (1858-1953), a prolific British novelist and playwright known for his works set in rural England.
In the field of science, Sir Norman Coulson (1917-2016) was a renowned British theoretical chemist and academic who made significant contributions to the understanding of chemical bonding and molecular structure. William Coulson (1828-1865), on the other hand, was a Union Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Williamsburg.
Another prominent individual with the name Coulson was Alfred Coulson (1905-1983), a British actor and writer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career, including the iconic BBC series "Doctor Who" in the 1960s.
While the name Coulson has its roots in occupational origins, it has since transcended its humble beginnings and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including engineers, writers, scientists, and military personnel. The enduring popularity of the name can be attributed to its distinctive sound and historical significance.
People
Coulson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coulson 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
Coulson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coulson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 456 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coulson 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 751,654 US residents.
Is Coulson a common name?
We classify Coulson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 460 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coulson most popular?
The single biggest year for Coulson was 2015, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coulson is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Coulson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coulson 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.