Find out how popular the last name Coakley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Coakley.

Coakley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Coakley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coakley in America

Coakley is the 5666th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coakley surname appeared 6,127 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Coakley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coakley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Coakley

The surname Coakley is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "cuachaillidhe," meaning "cock-pheasant" or "gamekeeper." The name was initially prevalent in counties Cork and Kerry, where many early bearers were employed as gamekeepers or fowlers.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, where a John Coakeley is listed as a landowner in County Cork in 1585. Another early reference is in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which list several Coakley households in the parishes of Carrigaline and Kinsale, County Cork.

In the 17th century, the name Coakley appeared in various spellings, such as Coakeley, Coakly, and Cokely, reflecting the phonetic variations common at the time. Several place names in Ireland, such as Cooklin in County Cork and Coackley in County Limerick, are believed to be derived from the surname or its variants.

Notable historical figures with the surname Coakley include:

1. Maurice Coakley (c. 1600-1680), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars.
2. James Coakley (1741-1815), an Irish Catholic priest and historian who authored several works on Irish history and the penal laws.
3. John Coakley (1789-1865), an Irish politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Dundalk from 1832 to 1835.
4. George Coakley (1867-1935), an American baseball player and manager who played for several teams in the Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1904.
5. Maureen Coakley (1923-2004), an English actress known for her roles in television series such as "Coronation Street" and "Emmerdale Farm."

While the name Coakley has Irish roots, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coakley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Coakley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Coakley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Coakley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Coakley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Coakley, please contact us.

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