Find out how popular the last name Coyote is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Coyote.

Coyote, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Coyote surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Coyote in America

Coyote is the 46404th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Coyote surname appeared 459 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Coyote.

We can also compare 2010 data for Coyote to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Coyote

The surname Coyote is of Native American origin, specifically from the Navajo and Apache tribes of the southwestern United States. It emerged in the late 17th century and is derived from the Nahuatl word "coyotl," which refers to the coyote, a canine species native to North America.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Coyote can be found in Spanish colonial records from New Mexico, where it was often used to identify members of the Navajo and Apache tribes. These records date back to the late 1600s and early 1700s, when the Spanish established settlements and missions in the region.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Coyote was Manuelito Coyote, a prominent Navajo leader who lived from 1818 to 1893. He played a significant role in the Navajo Wars against the United States government and was known for his unwavering resistance to the forced relocation of his people.

Another notable figure was Geronimo Coyote, a member of the Apache tribe who lived from 1829 to 1909. He was a respected warrior and leader during the Apache Wars and was known for his strategic brilliance in evading the U.S. Army for many years.

In the late 19th century, the surname Coyote also appeared in records from the Hopi and Zuni tribes of the American Southwest. One notable individual was Tawaquaptewa Coyote, a Hopi leader and religious figure who lived from 1855 to 1936. He played a crucial role in preserving the traditional Hopi way of life and advocating for the rights of his people.

The surname Coyote has also been associated with certain place names in the American Southwest, particularly in areas with strong Native American influences. For example, Coyote Canyon and Coyote Buttes are natural landmarks located in Utah and Arizona, respectively.

While the surname Coyote has its roots in Native American culture, it has since been adopted by individuals of various ethnic backgrounds, particularly in the western United States. Some notable bearers of the name in more recent times include the writer Thomas Coyote (1936-2002) and the artist and activist Charlene Coyote (born 1943).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Coyote

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Coyote.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Coyote was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Coyote has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Coyote was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Coyote, please contact us.

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