2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Coahran
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "creamhaire", meaning a wild garlic gatherer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Coahran. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coahran surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Coahran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coahran, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coahran
The surname Coahran has its origins in Ireland, where it is believed to have first appeared in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "catharan," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who was known for their wandering ways or travels.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Coahran can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of records from the 16th century. In these documents, a man named John Coahran is mentioned as having been granted lands in County Fermanagh in 1587.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Patrick Coahran, who was born in County Donegal around 1620. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation and fought against the English during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
In the 18th century, the Coahran name appears in various parish records and land registers throughout Ulster, particularly in Counties Donegal, Fermanagh, and Tyrone. This suggests that the name was well-established in this region by that time.
One of the more prominent figures with the Coahran surname was John Coahran, a lawyer and politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in County Donegal in 1775, he served as a member of the Irish House of Commons and was known for his support of Catholic emancipation.
Another notable individual was William Coahran, a soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Born in Ireland in 1837, he emigrated to the United States and served in the Union Army, eventually rising to the rank of captain. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
In the late 19th century, the Coahran name can be found in various records related to Irish immigration to countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. This suggests that many individuals with this surname left Ireland during this period, likely seeking better opportunities or fleeing from the Great Famine.
While the surname Coahran is most commonly found in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities, it has also been recorded in other parts of the world, including England and Scotland. However, its origins and earliest known bearers can be traced back to the island of Ireland, where the name has a rich and storied history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coahran
Among Census respondents with the surname Coahran, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Coahran bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Coahran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Two or more races10.6% · 11
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coahran
Coahran appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,647 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 7,385 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,647 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 7,385 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Coahran surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #153,590 | 4.6% |
| Count | 100 | 104 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coahran bearers went from 100 to 104 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 7,385 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #153,590.
FAQ
Coahran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coahran?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Coahran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Coahran?
Coahran ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Coahran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Coahran.
Has Coahran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coahran went from 100 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Coahran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coahran, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.6%) and Black (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Coahran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coahran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (10.6%), Black (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Coahran (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Coahran mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "creamhaire", meaning a wild garlic gatherer. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Coahran (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Coahran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.