2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fivecoats
An occupational surname likely referring to a person who made or sold coats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fivecoats. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fivecoats 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fivecoats in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fivecoats, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.2%) and Hispanic (11.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fivecoats
The surname FIVECOATS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a descriptive name referring to someone who wore five coats or layers of clothing, perhaps to protect themselves from the harsh English winters. The name may have derived from the Old English words "fif" meaning five and "cot" meaning coat or outer garment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, where a Richard Fivecoates is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273. This suggests the name was already established in parts of southern England by that time.
In the 14th century, the Fivecoats family seems to have been centered in the county of Derbyshire. The name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Youlgreave in 1349, referring to a John Fyvecottes who was a tenant farmer in the village.
During the 15th century, the Fivecoats name spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire. A notable bearer of the name from this period was William Fivecoats (c.1420-1489), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of York.
As spelling became more standardized in the 16th century, variations like Fyvecoats, Fivecotes, and Fivecotts began to appear in records. One example is John Fivecotts (1532-1604), a clergyman and author from Staffordshire who wrote a book on the teaching of Latin grammar.
Moving into the 17th century, the Fivecoats name continued to be found across various regions of England. A prominent figure was Captain Richard Fivecoats (1605-1677), a military officer who fought in the English Civil War and later became the mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Other notable bearers of the Fivecoats surname throughout history include:
- Thomas Fivecoats (1735-1818), a farmer and landowner from Gloucestershire.
- Elizabeth Fivecoats (1790-1867), a philanthropist and benefactor from Wiltshire.
- George Fivecoats (1825-1892), an industrialist and manufacturer from Lancashire.
- William Fivecoats (1870-1945), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Sheffield.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fivecoats
Among Census respondents with the surname Fivecoats, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.2%) and Hispanic (11.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fivecoats 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 Fivecoats surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native13.2% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino11.3% · 12
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fivecoats
Fivecoats appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,992 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 3,992 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 Fivecoats 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 | #148,347 | #152,339 | -2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 106 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fivecoats bearers went from 111 to 106 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 3,992 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fivecoats surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fivecoats?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fivecoats. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fivecoats?
Fivecoats ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Fivecoats. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fivecoats.
Has Fivecoats become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fivecoats went from 111 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fivecoats?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fivecoats, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.2%) and Hispanic (11.3%). 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 Fivecoats in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fivecoats appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (13.2%), Hispanic (11.3%). 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 Fivecoats (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 Fivecoats mean?
An occupational surname likely referring to a person who made or sold coats. 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 Fivecoats (0.04 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 Fivecoats?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.