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

Coburn, 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 Coburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coburn in America

Coburn is the 2625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coburn surname appeared 13,741 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 Coburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coburn 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 Coburn

The surname COBURN originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cob" meaning a headland or promontory, and "burn" meaning a stream or brook. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream at the base of a headland or hillside.

COBURN is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a place name. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Chartulary of Kelso Abbey in Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Coburn, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early reference is to Thomas de Coburne, who was recorded in the Chartulary of Kelso Abbey in 1292.

The name COBURN has also been associated with various place names throughout England and Scotland, such as Cobburn in Northumberland, Coburn in Yorkshire, and Coburn Muir in Lanarkshire, Scotland. These place names likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in those regions.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname COBURN include:

1. John Coburn (c. 1648-1719), an English-born settler in New Jersey who served as a member of the Provincial Assembly.
2. Abraham Coburn (1768-1848), an American manufacturer and philanthropist who founded the Coburn School in Massachusetts.
3. Charles D. Coburn (1877-1961), an American actor who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1943 for his role in "The More the Merrier."
4. William Coburn (1804-1887), a Scottish-born artist and engraver who worked in the United States and is known for his landscapes and portraits.
5. John Wesley Coburn (1829-1908), an American politician and lawyer who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the surname COBURN throughout history, highlighting its wide geographic distribution and various occupations and achievements associated with the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coburn

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!