Coleman
An occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold charcoal, or lived near a coal mine.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 254,564 Americans carry the last name Coleman. That puts it at #107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 74.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,346 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coleman surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
255K
1 in 1,346
Census rank
#107
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
74.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
219K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 219,070 bearers of the surname Coleman in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 74.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coleman
The surname Coleman originated in England and Ireland during the medieval period. It is derived from the occupational name for a charcoal burner or collier, from the Old English word "col" meaning coal or charcoal. The name is also found with the spellings Colman, Colemon, Coullman, and Coulman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Colman". This suggests the name was already well-established by the 11th century in parts of England.
In Ireland, the surname Coleman is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "O'Colmain" or "O'Colman", which means "descendant of Colman". The name is particularly associated with County Sligo and County Mayo.
Notable people with the surname Coleman include William Coleman (c. 1609-1698), an English-born Puritan settler in America who founded the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Another early bearer was Edward Coleman (c. 1636-1678), an English Catholic involved in the Popish Plot against King Charles II.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Coleman (1734-1805) was an English-born architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Boston, Massachusetts. The 19th century saw the birth of Samuel Coleman (1826-1900), an English-born businessman and philanthropist who founded the village of Coleman's Hatch in Sussex.
One of the most famous Colemans was Gary Coleman (1968-2010), an American actor best known for his childhood role on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes". Other notable bearers include Ornette Coleman (1930-2015), an American jazz saxophonist and composer, and Basil Coleman (1904-1995), an English actor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coleman
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Coleman bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Coleman surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.4%
- Black or African American44.6%
- Two or more races2.8%
- Hispanic or Latino2.3%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Coleman surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #102 | #107 | -4.9% |
| Count | 208,624 | 219,070 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 77.34 | 74.27 | -4.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Coleman bearers went from 208,624 to 219,070 (+5.0% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #102 to #107.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Coleman
FAQ
Coleman surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Coleman?
The surname Coleman holds position #107 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 254,564 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 74.27 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Coleman surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.