2000
#1,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.51
Uncommon Last name
Coulter
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to the maker or user of a coulter, a blade on a plow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,855 Americans carry the last name Coulter. That puts it at #1,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coulter 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 Coulter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,997
Census rank
#1,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,931 bearers of the surname Coulter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulter, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coulter
The surname Coulter originates from Scotland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the old English word "culter," which means a plowshare or a coulter, an implement used to cut furrows in the soil before the seed is planted. This suggests that the name may have originated from ancestors who were farmers or worked in agriculture.
The name Coulter can be traced to various regions in Scotland, particularly in the areas of Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, and Ayrshire. In the late 12th century, a Robert Cultor was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Kelso, located in the Scottish Borders. This is one of the earliest known references to the name.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in several charters and records, such as the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. One notable entry is that of Robert de Coulter, who held lands in Lanarkshire.
The Coulter surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Coulter in Lanarkshire, which was likely named after an early bearer of the name. Other variations of the spelling include Culter, Coltyr, and Colter.
One of the earliest recorded figures with the Coulter surname was Sir John Coulter, who lived in the 15th century and served as a Scottish diplomat and ambassador to England during the reign of King James II of Scotland (1437-1460).
Another notable bearer of the name was John Coulter (c. 1578-1660), a Scottish theologian and minister who served as the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1637 to 1640.
In the 17th century, John Coulter (1606-1671) was a Scottish merchant and burgess of Glasgow, who played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during that period.
Thomas Coulter (1793-1843) was a Scottish-Irish botanist and explorer, best known for his extensive collections of plant specimens from Mexico and California.
John Mercer Coulter (1851-1928) was an American botanist and educator, who made significant contributions to the field of plant morphology and was a pioneering figure in the study of plant evolution.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the Coulter surname throughout history, reflecting the name's Scottish origins and its presence across various professions and fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coulter
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulter, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Coulter 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 Coulter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 16,530
- Black or African American8.9% · 1,781
- Two or more races4.2% · 840
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 566
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coulter
Coulter 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
#1,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,757
+505 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 7.04
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#1,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,931
-826 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 6.67
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,622 | 20,252 | 7.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,725 | 20,757 | 7.04 | +505 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #1,759 | 19,931 | 6.67 | -826 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 34 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 Coulter 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 | #1,725 | #1,759 | -2.0% |
| Count | 20,757 | 19,931 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.04 | 6.67 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coulter bearers went from 20,757 to 19,931 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,725 to #1,759.
FAQ
Coulter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coulter?
Name Census estimates that about 22,855 living Americans carry the surname Coulter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,997 residents.
How common is Coulter?
Coulter ranks #1,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,931 people with the surname Coulter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,855), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Coulter.
Has Coulter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coulter went from 20,757 recorded bearers to 19,931. That is a decrease of 826 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,725 to #1,759.
What does the Census say about the background of Coulter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coulter, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Coulter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (16,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coulter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Coulter (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 Coulter mean?
A Scottish and Irish occupational surname referring to the maker or user of a coulter, a blade on a plow. 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 Coulter (6.67 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 surname Coulter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.