2000
#4,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,868
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Coggins
Derived from a diminutive of the Old English personal name "Cock," meaning "son of Cock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,485 Americans carry the last name Coggins. That puts it at #4,645 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coggins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Coggins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,395
Census rank
#4,645
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,399 bearers of the surname Coggins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4645th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coggins
The surname Coggins has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "cog," which referred to a small boat or vessel. It's believed that the name was originally an occupational name given to someone who worked on or operated small boats, such as a boatman or a ferryman.
The earliest known record of the name Coggins dates back to 1221, in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire. This document mentions a person named Robert Cogyn, which is an early variation of the spelling. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Coggin, Coggins, and Coggans.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where it was recorded as Coggyn. This record provides evidence that the name had spread to different parts of England by this time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Coggins was John Coggins, an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford in the 16th century. He was born around 1520 and played a role in the religious and political turmoil of the Reformation era.
Another individual of note was Robert Coggins, a 17th-century English clergyman and author. Born in 1598, he served as the Rector of Wonersh in Surrey and published several works, including a treatise on the Book of Revelation.
In the 18th century, James Coggins, a British naval officer, gained recognition for his service during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1732 and played a role in several notable battles against the American colonists.
The name Coggins was also found in various place names across England, such as Coggins Mill in Gloucestershire and Coggins Farm in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Coggins who lived or worked in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was in 1635, when Thomas Coggins arrived in Virginia as an indentured servant. This highlights the early migration of individuals with the Coggins surname to the American colonies.
Throughout history, the surname Coggins has been associated with various occupations, from boatmen and ferrymen to clergymen, politicians, and naval officers. Its origins can be traced back to early medieval England, where it emerged as an occupational name related to the operation of small boats or vessels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coggins
Among Census respondents with the surname Coggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Coggins 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 Coggins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 5,992
- Black or African American11.0% · 817
- Two or more races3.7% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coggins
Coggins 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
#4,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,722
-146 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#4,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,399
-323 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,176 | 7,868 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,594 | 7,722 | 2.62 | -146 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #4,645 | 7,399 | 2.48 | -323 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 51 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 Coggins 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 | #4,594 | #4,645 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,722 | 7,399 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.48 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coggins bearers went from 7,722 to 7,399 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,594 to #4,645.
FAQ
Coggins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coggins?
Name Census estimates that about 8,485 living Americans carry the surname Coggins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,395 residents.
How common is Coggins?
Coggins ranks #4,645 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,399 people with the surname Coggins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Coggins.
Has Coggins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coggins went from 7,722 recorded bearers to 7,399. That is a decrease of 323 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,594 to #4,645.
What does the Census say about the background of Coggins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Coggins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (5,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coggins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (11.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Coggins (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 Coggins mean?
Derived from a diminutive of the Old English personal name "Cock," meaning "son of Cock." 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 Coggins (2.48 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 people share the surname Coggins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.