The first name Coleman
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /ˈkoʊlmən/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
A surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Colman.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Coleman at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 148 boys born in the United States were named Coleman, the 1,311th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1997, when 420 were.
17,628
babies named Coleman since 1880
#1,311
rank in 2025
1997
peak year
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Coleman
11 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Coleman HawkinsAmerican jazz saxophonist (1904–1969)
- Arthur Coleman DantoAmerican art critic and philosopher (1924–2013)
- Beals Coleman WrightAmerican tennis player (1879–1961)
- Anna Coleman LaddAmerican sculptor (1878–1939)
- Coleman FrancisAmerican film director and actor (1919-1973)
- Coleman BarksAmerican poet, 1937–2026
- Coleman YoungAmerican politician (1918–1997)
- Elizabeth Coleman WhiteAmerican blueberry botanist (1871-1954)
- Coleman Livingston BleaseAmerican politician (1868-1942)
- Countee CullenAmerican author (1903–1946)
- Charles C. ThompsonBishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville, born 1961
Questions
- Is Coleman a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 17,628 US babies named Coleman since 1880 were boys.
- When was Coleman most popular?
- 1997 in the United States, when 420 babies were named Coleman, its highest rank at 497th.
- How do you pronounce Coleman?
- Coleman is /ˈkoʊlmən/, 2 syllables.
- Is Coleman also a surname?
- Yes. Coleman is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.