2000
#2,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.27
Uncommon Last name
Coughlin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cochlain," meaning "descendant of Coileán" (a personal name meaning "whelp" or "hound").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,937 Americans carry the last name Coughlin. That puts it at #2,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coughlin 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 Coughlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,507
Census rank
#2,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,898 bearers of the surname Coughlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coughlin
The surname Coughlin originates from Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Ó Cochlain, meaning "descendant of Cochlain." The name Cochlain is a diminutive form of the Irish word "coch," which means "hog" or "red." The name likely referred to a person with reddish hair or complexion.
The name Coughlin can be traced back to County Cavan in the northern part of Ireland, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. The Coughlin family was part of the Ui Briuin Breifne, a powerful dynasty that ruled over parts of modern-day counties Cavan and Leitrim.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Coughlin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a "Cochlin O'Breslin" in the year 1335, indicating the name's existence in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Coughlin families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of the country. This led to the spread of the name across Ireland, particularly in counties like Armagh, Monaghan, and Louth.
Notable individuals with the surname Coughlin throughout history include:
1. Terence Coughlin (c. 1534-1589), an Irish Catholic priest who was martyred during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
2. Patrick Coughlin (1761-1849), an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.
3. Dennis Joseph Coughlin (1865-1936), an American Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Jaffna in Sri Lanka from 1924 to 1936.
4. James Coughlin (1887-1967), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Detroit Tigers in the early 20th century.
5. Charles Coughlin (1891-1979), an American Catholic priest and controversial radio host known for his anti-Semitic and pro-fascist views during the Great Depression era.
While the Coughlin name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coughlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Coughlin 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 Coughlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 12,916
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 438
- Two or more races2.5% · 344
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 123
- Black or African American0.4% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coughlin
Coughlin 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
#2,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,434
+208 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 4.89
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#2,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,898
-536 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.65
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,333 | 14,226 | 5.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,510 | 14,434 | 4.89 | +208 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #2,534 | 13,898 | 4.65 | -536 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 24 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 Coughlin 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 | #2,510 | #2,534 | -1.0% |
| Count | 14,434 | 13,898 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.89 | 4.65 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coughlin bearers went from 14,434 to 13,898 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,510 to #2,534.
FAQ
Coughlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coughlin?
Name Census estimates that about 15,937 living Americans carry the surname Coughlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,507 residents.
How common is Coughlin?
Coughlin ranks #2,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,898 people with the surname Coughlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,937), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Coughlin.
Has Coughlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coughlin went from 14,434 recorded bearers to 13,898. That is a decrease of 536 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,510 to #2,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Coughlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coughlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Coughlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (12,916 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coughlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (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 Coughlin (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 Coughlin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Cochlain," meaning "descendant of Coileán" (a personal name meaning "whelp" or "hound"). 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 Coughlin (4.65 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 Coughlin?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Coughlin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.