2000
#1,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.17
Uncommon Last name
Coffman
An occupational surname for a basket maker or someone who made or sold baskets and other containers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,073 Americans carry the last name Coffman. That puts it at #1,473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,660 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coffman 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
27K
1 in 12,660
Census rank
#1,473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,609 bearers of the surname Coffman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coffman
The surname Coffman has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Koffe", which means a chest or trunk. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who made or repaired chests or trunks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Marbach am Neckar, a town located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In 1596, a man named Hans Coffman was documented as living in the town.
As the name spread, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Koffman, Coffmann, and Kaufmann. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions at the time.
One notable individual with the surname Coffman was Johann Coffman, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. He was among the first Coffmans to arrive in the American colonies and is considered one of the progenitors of the Coffman family in the United States.
Another early Coffman of note was Johann Michael Coffman, who was born in 1717 in Württemberg, Germany. He emigrated to America in 1749 and settled in Virginia, where he became a prominent landowner and farmer.
In England, the Coffman surname can be traced back to the 17th century, with records showing a William Coffman living in Nottinghamshire in 1642. It is believed that the English Coffmans were descendants of German immigrants who brought the name with them.
One of the most famous individuals with the Coffman surname was Victor Coffman, an American artist and illustrator who was born in 1888 and died in 1964. He was known for his illustrations in magazines and books, particularly his work for The Saturday Evening Post.
Another notable Coffman was Rexford Coffman, born in 1892 and died in 1957. He was an American artist and illustrator who worked for various magazines and publishing houses, including The Ladies' Home Journal and Harper's Bazaar.
While the surname Coffman is not as common as some others, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries. Its origins as an occupational name in Germany have evolved into a surname carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coffman
Among Census respondents with the surname Coffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Coffman 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 Coffman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 21,097
- Two or more races4.0% · 947
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 773
- Black or African American1.9% · 456
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 166
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coffman
Coffman 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
#1,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,980
+247 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 8.47
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,609
-1,371 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 7.90
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,304 | 24,733 | 9.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,421 | 24,980 | 8.47 | +247 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,473 | 23,609 | 7.90 | -1,371 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 52 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 Coffman 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 | #1,421 | #1,473 | -3.7% |
| Count | 24,980 | 23,609 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.47 | 7.90 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coffman bearers went from 24,980 to 23,609 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,421 to #1,473.
FAQ
Coffman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coffman?
Name Census estimates that about 27,073 living Americans carry the surname Coffman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,660 residents.
How common is Coffman?
Coffman ranks #1,473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,609 people with the surname Coffman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Coffman.
Has Coffman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coffman went from 24,980 recorded bearers to 23,609. That is a decrease of 1,371 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,421 to #1,473.
What does the Census say about the background of Coffman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coffman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Coffman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (21,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coffman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Coffman (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 Coffman mean?
An occupational surname for a basket maker or someone who made or sold baskets and other containers. 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 Coffman (7.90 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 Coffman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.