The Coulter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,757 people carried this name — #1,725 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,200 people counted. That is up 2% from 20,252 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 45 births for the Coulter name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Down, and Fermanagh.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 42
Leinster 2
Connacht 1

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 80 people named Coulter live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

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

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 31
Santiago del Estero 27
Santa Fe 22

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland’s registers today

Coulter was recorded 31 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 793rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 47. 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

41 families named Coulter, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 213 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 26
Maryland 4
Virginia 3
North Carolina 3
New York 2
South Carolina 2
Massachusetts 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Coulter in American newspapers,
1911–1913.

Newspaper page from The Libby Herald carrying the name Coulter
The Libby Herald 1913-07-18
Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Coulter
The Poplar Standard 1911-01-26
Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Coulter
The Poplar Standard 1911-01-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 144,136 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Coulter in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

35,330 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Coulter. The most, 5,166, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 13,103
Tasmania 6,482
Victoria 4,680
Queensland 4,489
South Australia 3,518
Western Australia 2,860
ACT (Canberra) 126
Northern Territory 18

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

Who carried it

People named Coulter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Coulter
    Thomas Coulter 1793–1843 · physician
  • Richard Coulter
    Richard Coulter 1827–1908 · military officer
  • John Merle Coulter
    John Merle Coulter 1851–1928 · writer
  • Madeline Mary Coulter d. 1980
  • John Coulter 1751–1823
  • William Coulter (Lord Provost) 1754–1810

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Coulter,
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 States1,963 records

1,963 records of the Coulter name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 702
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 357
  • Other U.S. records 904
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George E. Coulter

    Born 1916 in Ohio. Enlisted 1941 at Camp Perry Lacarne; locomotive fireman from Allen County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1944, buried at New Albany National Cemetery, Indiana.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From London; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Clay Coulter

    Born 1944; from Maryville, Tennessee. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,963 records for Coulter in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia794 records

794 records of the Coulter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 408
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 125
  • Other Australian records 261
  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 Coulter

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elizabeth & Henry, sailing from London in 1848. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ada Blanche Coulter

    Born 1874 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Hand Coulter

    Married 1868 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21. Died 1891 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 44. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 794 records for Coulter 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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada308 records

308 records of the Coulter name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 180
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 38
  • Other Canadian records 90
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Coulter

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Quebec, bound for Niagara, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kenneth Carl Coulter

    Buried in 1982 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 29.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Bevereley Elaine Coulter

    Died 1936 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 308 records for Coulter in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the Coulter name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 17
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 5
  • Stirling Council burial records 3
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Henry Coulter

    Born 1880 at Warrenpoint. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Coulter

    Buried in 1972 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 70.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Coulter

    Irish Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Coulter in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand15 records

15 records of the Coulter name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Henry Coulter

    Died 1900, aged 39; buried at Linwood 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 Ephriam Coulter

    Buried in 1916 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 81.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Florence Bertha Coulter

    Died 1967, aged 81; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Coulter in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel 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).

France3 records

3 records of the Coulter 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 Nicolas Vincent James Coulter

    Born 1949 in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine); died 1995 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

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

    Born 1939 in the United States; died 2001 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Coulter 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).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Coulter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Thomas Coulter

    Married in 1947 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Anna Catrina Coulter

    Baptised in 1734 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Coulter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Coulter 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.

See the Coulter volume
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