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

Coffelt, 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 Coffelt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coffelt in America

Coffelt is the 10797th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coffelt surname appeared 2,953 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Coffelt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coffelt 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 Coffelt

The surname COFFELT has its origins in medieval Germany, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "kofe" meaning a small barrel or cask, and "feld" meaning a field or open land. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near fields where barrels or casks were produced or stored.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dated around 1200 AD. The entry mentions a landowner named Conradus Coffelt residing in the town of Zwickau.

By the 14th century, variations of the name such as Koffeldt, Coffelte, and Koffelt appeared in various records across German-speaking regions. A notable figure was Johann Koffelt, a merchant and alderman in the city of Nuremberg, who lived from 1385 to 1452.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and adaptations. In England, the spelling COFFELT first appeared in the late 16th century, likely brought over by German immigrants or traders. One of the earliest known English bearers was Thomas Coffelt, a landowner in Oxfordshire, born in 1567.

The COFFELT name also found its way to the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as Koffelt or Koffeltje. A prominent bearer was Willem Koffelt, a Dutch painter and engraver who lived from 1625 to 1681, known for his landscapes and portraiture.

In the early 17th century, the name made its way to the American colonies, with the arrival of German and Dutch settlers. One of the first recorded instances was Johannes Coffelt, who immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in 1654 and established a farm in what is now Berks County.

Another notable figure was Captain John Coffelt, an American Revolutionary War soldier who fought under General George Washington. He was born in Virginia in 1742 and served in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

As the centuries passed, the COFFELT surname continued to spread and evolve, with bearers making their mark in various fields, from politics and military to the arts and sciences. Despite its diverse geographical presence, the name remains rooted in its German origins, a testament to the rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coffelt

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

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

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

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