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

Coats, 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 Coats surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coats in America

Coats is the 2286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coats surname appeared 15,943 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Coats.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coats 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 Coats

The surname Coats is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "cote," meaning a peasant's cottage or a small dwelling. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a small, humble abode or as an occupational name for a person who constructed or maintained such dwellings.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, where it appeared as "de la Cote." This early spelling suggests that the name was initially a locational surname, indicating a person's place of residence or origin.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "atte Cote," "de la Cote," and "Cotte," reflecting the diverse spellings common in those times. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John atte Cote, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname underwent further evolution and appeared as "Coates," "Coats," and "Cootes." In the 16th century, the surname became more widespread, with notable figures such as Sir John Coats (1535-1616), a merchant and landowner in Cambridgeshire.

In the 17th century, the Coats family established themselves in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. One prominent member was Thomas Coats (1809-1883), a Scottish industrialist and founder of the renowned Coats Thread Company, which played a significant role in the textile industry.

Other notable individuals with the surname Coats include Thomas Coats (1766-1835), a British merchant and philanthropist, and Sir Stuart Coats (1878-1968), a British businessman and chairman of the Coats Thread Company.

Throughout history, the surname Coats has been associated with various places, such as Coats, Gloucestershire, and Coates, Cambridgeshire, both of which likely derived their names from the same Old French word as the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coats

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

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 Coats 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 Coats 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 Coats was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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