2000
#8,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,643
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Coursey
A locational surname derived from places in England or Ireland, likely referring to a river crossing or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,110 Americans carry the last name Coursey. That puts it at #8,778 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coursey 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.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,395
Census rank
#8,778
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,584 bearers of the surname Coursey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8778th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coursey, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coursey
The surname COURSEY has its origins in the French language, with the earliest known records tracing back to the late 12th century in the northern regions of France. The name is derived from the Old French word "cour," meaning "court" or "courtyard," suggesting that the original bearers of this name may have lived or worked near a courtyard or manor house.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname COURSEY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, England, from 1195, where a Roger de Courcy is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have been brought to England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.
The COURSEY surname has also been recorded in various old manuscripts and records throughout the Middle Ages, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Courcy is listed as a landowner in Somerset, England.
In the late 13th century, a notable figure named Sir John Coursey (c. 1285-1349) served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire and was also appointed as a knight by King Edward III. During his lifetime, Sir John Coursey was involved in several military campaigns, including the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Another prominent individual with the surname COURSEY was William Coursey (c. 1400-1465), who served as the Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1444 and was also a Member of Parliament for the county.
In the 16th century, the COURSEY surname was closely associated with the village of Courcy in Normandy, France, which may have been the ancestral homeland of some branches of the family. A notable figure from this period was Richard Coursey (c. 1520-1590), who served as the Rector of the parish church in Courcy.
The COURSEY surname has also been found in various place names and locations throughout England, such as Coursey Priory in Somerset, which was founded in the 12th century by members of the Coursey family.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several individuals with the COURSEY surname made significant contributions in various fields, including John Coursey (c. 1630-1701), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia, and Thomas Coursey (c. 1720-1785), who was a renowned architect and designer of several notable buildings in London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coursey
Among Census respondents with the surname Coursey, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Coursey 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 Coursey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 2,853
- Black or African American10.0% · 360
- Two or more races4.8% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coursey
Coursey 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
#8,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,862
+219 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#8,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,584
-278 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 255 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,351 | 3,643 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,523 | 3,862 | 1.31 | +219 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #8,778 | 3,584 | 1.20 | -278 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 255 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 Coursey 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 | #8,523 | #8,778 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,862 | 3,584 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.20 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coursey bearers went from 3,862 to 3,584 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 255 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,523 to #8,778.
FAQ
Coursey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coursey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,110 living Americans carry the surname Coursey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,395 residents.
How common is Coursey?
Coursey ranks #8,778 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,584 people with the surname Coursey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Coursey.
Has Coursey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coursey went from 3,862 recorded bearers to 3,584. That is a decrease of 278 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,523 to #8,778.
What does the Census say about the background of Coursey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coursey, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Coursey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (2,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coursey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (10.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Coursey (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 Coursey mean?
A locational surname derived from places in England or Ireland, likely referring to a river crossing or settlement. 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 Coursey (1.20 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 share the surname Coursey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.