2000
#6,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Coulson
An English occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "kaupa-maðr," meaning a merchant or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,283 Americans carry the last name Coulson. That puts it at #7,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coulson 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 Coulson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,879
Census rank
#7,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,607 bearers of the surname Coulson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coulson
The surname Coulson originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "col" meaning coal and "sunu" meaning son. It was an occupational name given to those whose trade involved working with coal, such as coal miners or charcoal burners.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with mentions in medieval records such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Adam Colsone is listed. The surname also appears in the Calendarium Genealogicum, a manuscript from the late 13th century, which includes the entry "Coulson de Hepworth" from Yorkshire.
In the 14th century, the name can be found in various manorial records and court rolls, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which list a John Colson in 1348. The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 also contain the name William Colson.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Coulson, a merchant from York who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was John Coulson, a clergyman and author who was born in Yorkshire in 1592 and wrote several religious texts.
In the 17th century, the surname appears in the parish records of various English counties, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Northumberland. A prominent individual from this period was Thomas Coulson, a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) who was born in Yorkshire in 1631 and was persecuted for his religious beliefs.
During the 18th century, the Coulson family established themselves in various parts of England, with branches in counties such as Northumberland, Durham, and Lancashire. One notable figure was Nathaniel Coulson, a botanist and writer from Yorkshire who lived from 1735 to 1805.
In the 19th century, the surname continued to be found across England, with concentrations in northern counties like Yorkshire and Durham. Some individuals of note from this period include William Coulson, a surgeon and medical author from Durham who lived from 1804 to 1877, and John Coulson, a mathematician and professor at the University of Cambridge who was born in 1816.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coulson
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Coulson 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 Coulson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 4,027
- Two or more races4.6% · 213
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 182
- Black or African American2.7% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coulson
Coulson 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
#6,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,966
+201 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#7,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,607
-359 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,559 | 4,765 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,792 | 4,966 | 1.68 | +201 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #7,027 | 4,607 | 1.54 | -359 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 235 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 Coulson 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 | #6,792 | #7,027 | -3.5% |
| Count | 4,966 | 4,607 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.54 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coulson bearers went from 4,966 to 4,607 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 235 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,792 to #7,027.
FAQ
Coulson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coulson?
Name Census estimates that about 5,283 living Americans carry the surname Coulson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,879 residents.
How common is Coulson?
Coulson ranks #7,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 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 4,607 people with the surname Coulson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 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 Coulson.
Has Coulson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coulson went from 4,966 recorded bearers to 4,607. That is a decrease of 359 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,792 to #7,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Coulson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Coulson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (4,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coulson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Coulson (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 Coulson mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "kaupa-maðr," meaning a merchant or trader. 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 Coulson (1.54 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 have the last name Coulson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Coulson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.