How common is the surname Coleman?

219,070 people in the United States had the surname Coleman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,409 Americans. It ranked 107th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Coleman?

Gary Coleman, American actor (1968–2010), followed by Ornette Coleman.

Where is the surname Coleman most common?

Wikidata records people named Coleman in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

How do you pronounce Coleman?

Coleman is /ˈkoʊlmən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Coleman getting more or less common?

More common. 208,624 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 219,070 in 2010, up 5.0%.

Is Coleman also a first name?

Yes. Coleman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Coleman

A patronymic surname, carried by 219,070 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈkoʊlmən/ 2 syllables Soundex C455 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Coleman is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Colman.

Coleman is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 219,070 people named Coleman in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,409 Americans. That is up 5.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 208,624.

#107

rank among US surnames

219,070

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5%

change since 2000 (was #102)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#98	Ross	229,368	1,346
#99	Foster	227,764	1,356
#100	Jimenez	227,118	1,359
#101	Powell	224,874	1,373
#102	Jenkins	222,653	1,387
#103	Perry	221,741	1,392
#104	Russell	221,558	1,394

Who is named Coleman

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

49% of people named Coleman identified as white (not Hispanic), 45% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 49%
Black (not Hispanic) 45%
Two or more races 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Colemans

61 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Gary Coleman
American actor (1968–2010)
Ornette Coleman
American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer (1930–2015)
Bessie Coleman
American aviator (1892–1926)
Ronnie Coleman
American IFBB professional bodybuilder, born 1964
Jenna Coleman
British actress, born 1986
Catherine Coleman
American astronaut, chemist, United States Air Force officer, born 1960
Dabney Coleman
American actor (1932–2024)
Chad Coleman
American actor, born 1974
Jack Coleman
American actor and screenwriter, born 1958
Monique Coleman
American actress, born 1980
Christian Coleman
American sprinter, born 1996
Norm Coleman
American politician, born 1949

Notable Colemans come mostly from the United States (53), the United Kingdom (4) and Australia (4).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Coleman

Coleman has the Soundex code C455, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C455.

Questions

How common is the surname Coleman?: 219,070 people in the United States had the surname Coleman in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,409 Americans. It ranked 107th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Coleman?: In the 2010 Census, 49% of people named Coleman identified as white (not Hispanic), and 45% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Coleman?: Gary Coleman, American actor (1968–2010), followed by Ornette Coleman.
Where is the surname Coleman most common?: Wikidata records people named Coleman in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Coleman?: Coleman is /ˈkoʊlmən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Coleman?: Coleman is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Coleman getting more or less common?: More common. 208,624 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 219,070 in 2010, up 5.0%.
Is Coleman also a first name?: Yes. Coleman is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.