The Coates surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,725 people carried this name — #1,512 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,400 people counted. That is up 10% from 21,652 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Coates surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the cote’.

An early record he cites: Egidius de Cotes, Norfolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Coates and Coats.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 188 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 15 births for the Coates name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 9
Leinster 3
Munster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 30 people named Coates.

Most of them — 20 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 20
Moselle 4
Paris 2
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Gironde 1
Oise 1
Vaucluse 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

23 people named Coates is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Coates was found among the farmers of 8 counties.

It was most frequent in Yorkshire, North and East Ridings: 51 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 196. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 51
Yorkshire, West Riding 24
Buckinghamshire 20
Durham 20
Oxfordshire 20
Northumberland 18
Lincolnshire 12
Derbyshire 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Coates was recorded 19 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1203rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 11. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Coates in American newspapers,
1922–1930.

Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Coates
The Poplar Standard 1930-08-21
Newspaper page from The Harlem News carrying the name Coates
The Harlem News 1930-08-15
Newspaper page from Woman's Enterprise carrying the name Coates
Woman's Enterprise 1922-12-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Coates in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

64,184 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coates. The most, 14,414, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 25,726
Victoria 15,409
Queensland 9,823
South Australia 5,505
Tasmania 3,567
Western Australia 3,548
ACT (Canberra) 481
Northern Territory 46

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coates.

Who carried it

People named Coates,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Coates d. 1686 · politician
  • Joseph H. Coates d. 1929 · politician
  • Peter Coates d. 2013 · physicist
  • Joseph Edward Coates d. 1973 · chemist
  • Joanne Coates d. 2006
  • Lilian Fielding d. 1935

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Coates,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,305 records

2,305 records of the Coates name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 787
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 420
  • Other U.S. records 1,098
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Leroy Coates

    Born 1937; from Tigard, Oregon. U.S. Marine Corps, airborne radio operator; killed in action 1966 in North Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas L. Coates

    Born 1922 in Texas. Enlisted 1943 at Santa Ana, California; toolmaker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Coates

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 37; spinner. From Seaton, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,305 records for Coates in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,053 records

2,053 records of the Coates name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,002
  • Tasmanian Names Index 385
  • Other Australian records 666
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Jane Coates

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove, sailing from Woolwich in 1842. Native of Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frances Coates

    Died 1927 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1927.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Coates

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Tudor, aged 38; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,053 records for Coates in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada390 records

390 records of the Coates name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 274
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 31
  • Other Canadian records 85
  1. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Duckworth Coates

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, sergeant; of Fredericton, New Brunswick.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ed Coates

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Norman Coates

    Buried in 1986 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 32.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 390 records for Coates in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom103 records

103 records of the Coates name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 75
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 17
  • Other British records 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Buchanan Coates

    Buried in 1958 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 83.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Willam Albert Coates

    Will proved in 1936; of Ghan Conway, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record George Coates

    Died 1915. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 103 records for Coates in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand27 records

27 records of the Coates name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 22
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Coates

    Died 1939, aged 75; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Rupert Coates

    Born 1898, died 1976; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richard William Godfrey Coates

    Died 1980, aged 27; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 27 records for Coates in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Coates name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Dorothy Coates

    Died 1833 in Veere, aged 72; of private means.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Hickson Coates

    Died 1963 in Soest, aged 48.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Violette Charlotte Coates

    Died 1962 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 76.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Coates in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Coates name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gordon Joseph William Coates

    Born 1935 in Canada; died 1998 in Moyeuvre-Grande (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Micheline Ghislaine Coates

    Born 1923 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris); died 1989 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paul Coates

    Born 1949 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Claix (Charente).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Coates in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Coates.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Coates is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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