2000
#15,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,692
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Coughlan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Ó Cochláin' meaning 'descendant of Cochlán'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,038 Americans carry the last name Coughlan. That puts it at #15,799 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coughlan 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 Coughlan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,182
Census rank
#15,799
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,777 bearers of the surname Coughlan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15799th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coughlan
The surname "COUGHLAN" originated in Ireland, deriving from the Irish Gaelic personal name "O Cochláin" which means "descendant of Cochlán." The name Cochlán is a diminutive of the Gaelic word "coch" meaning "red" or "ruddy."
The name first appeared in historic records in the early 12th century, with the Coughlan clan being among the notable families of County Cork. They were part of the Dalcassian race and descended from Oilioll Olum, the 3rd century King of Munster.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Aodh O Coughlan, who was Bishop of Ross in the year 1216. Another early record is that of Senchan O Coughlan, who was an Irish poet and historian in the 7th century.
In the 16th century, the Coughlans were among the leading families of the Carbery region in County Cork. They were Lords of the territory of Clanawley and held substantial lands around Rosscarbery and Clonakilty.
A notable figure in Irish history was Muiris Coughlan (1593-1635), a Catholic priest who was hanged for his religious beliefs during the Protestant Reformation. Another Coughlan of note was Robert Coughlan (1745-1828), an Irish-born merchant and land speculator who played a significant role in the early settlement of New Brunswick, Canada.
Other historically prominent individuals with the Coughlan surname include Richard Coughlan (1825-1899), an Irish-born bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, New York, and Michael Coughlan (1892-1976), an Irish hurler who played for the Cork senior team and won three All-Ireland medals.
The surname has also been recorded with various spelling variations over the centuries, including Coghlan, Coglan, Caughlane, Caughulin, and others, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional dialects of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coughlan
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Coughlan 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 Coughlan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,628
- Two or more races3.8% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 29
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coughlan
Coughlan 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
#16,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,798
+106 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 295 places
2020
#15,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,777
-21 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 301 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,805 | 1,692 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,100 | 1,798 | 0.61 | +106 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 295 places |
| 2020 | #15,799 | 1,777 | 0.59 | -21 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 301 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 Coughlan 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 | #16,100 | #15,799 | 1.9% |
| Count | 1,798 | 1,777 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coughlan bearers went from 1,798 to 1,777 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 301 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,100 to #15,799.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Coughlan
FAQ
Coughlan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coughlan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,038 living Americans carry the surname Coughlan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,182 residents.
How common is Coughlan?
Coughlan ranks #15,799 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,777 people with the surname Coughlan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Coughlan.
Has Coughlan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coughlan went from 1,798 recorded bearers to 1,777. That is a decrease of 21 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,100 to #15,799.
What does the Census say about the background of Coughlan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Coughlan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,628 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coughlan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Coughlan (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 Coughlan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic 'Ó Cochláin' meaning 'descendant of Cochlán'. 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 Coughlan (0.59 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 are called Coughlan?
See how many people are called Coughlan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.