NameCensus.

UK surname

Coan

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Comhdhain," meaning "descendant of Comhdhán" (a personal name of uncertain meaning).

In the 1881 census there were 180 people recorded with the Coan surname, ranking it #13,735 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 356, ranked #12,978, up from #13,735 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, Winwick and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, Cheshire East and Colchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coan is 392 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 97.8%.

1881 census count

180

Ranked #13,735

Modern count

356

2016, ranked #12,978

Peak year

2002

392 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coan had 180 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,735 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016, ranked #12,978.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 319 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Coan surname distribution map

The map shows where the Coan surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Coan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Coan over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 108 #16,308
1861 historical 143 #15,906
1881 historical 180 #13,735
1891 historical 224 #13,760
1901 historical 278 #12,252
1911 historical 319 #10,967
1997 modern 371 #11,645
1998 modern 387 #11,640
1999 modern 381 #11,873
2000 modern 376 #11,928
2001 modern 379 #11,676
2002 modern 392 #11,607
2003 modern 364 #12,068
2004 modern 357 #12,272
2005 modern 365 #11,985
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 368 #12,125
2008 modern 379 #11,960
2009 modern 385 #12,070
2010 modern 383 #12,394
2011 modern 377 #12,392
2012 modern 361 #12,647
2013 modern 363 #12,815
2014 modern 366 #12,823
2015 modern 359 #12,906
2016 modern 356 #12,978

Geography

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Where Coans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, Winwick, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, Cheshire East, Colchester and North and East Isles. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Bees Cumberland
2 Winwick Lancashire
3 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 004 Copeland
2 Copeland 005 Copeland
3 Cheshire East 009 Cheshire East
4 Colchester 019 Colchester
5 North and East Isles Shetland Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Coan

These lists show first names that appear often with the Coan surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Coan

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Coan, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Coan surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Coan household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Coan is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Coan is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Coan falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Coan is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Coan, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Coan

The surname Coan has its origins in Ireland, traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "cuan," meaning "harbor" or "haven." This suggests that the name likely originated from a prominent location near a harbor or a coastal area in Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Coan name can be found in the Irish Annals, which document historical events in Ireland. The Annals mention a family called "Ua Cuain" in the 12th century, which is thought to be an early form of the Coan surname.

During the medieval period, the name Coan was prevalent in the counties of Cork and Kerry, particularly in the areas around the towns of Clonakilty and Bantry. It is possible that the name was associated with these coastal regions due to their proximity to harbors and the significance of maritime activities.

The Coan surname also appears in various historical records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were administrative documents issued by the English monarchs during their reign over Ireland. These records mention individuals with the surname Coan, indicating their presence in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One notable individual with the Coan surname was Sir Patrick Coan, a prominent lawyer and judge who lived in the late 16th century. He served as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and played a significant role in the legal system during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another historical figure was Thomas Coan, born in 1801 in County Cork, Ireland. He was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. Coan served as the Director of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland from 1858 until his death in 1877.

In the 19th century, John Coan was a distinguished American missionary who spent over four decades in Hawaii, working to establish churches and schools on the islands. He was born in 1809 in Connecticut and arrived in Hawaii in 1835, where he dedicated his life to spreading Christianity and education.

The Coan surname also has connections to place names in Ireland. For example, there is a townland called Coanshingane in County Cork, which may have derived its name from the Coan family or vice versa.

Throughout history, the Coan surname has been spelled in various ways, including Cowan, Cowen, Cowane, and Coyn, reflecting regional variations and the evolution of language over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Coan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coan surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 41 Coans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.34x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 41 2.34x
Norfolk 24 8.89x
Lancashire 19 0.91x
Durham 18 3.45x
Stirlingshire 14 21.62x
Cumberland 13 8.60x
Yorkshire 11 0.63x
Cheshire 9 2.32x
Suffolk 8 3.74x
Lanarkshire 6 1.06x
Renfrewshire 6 4.41x
Angus 5 3.07x
Leicestershire 2 1.03x
Midlothian 2 0.85x
Cornwall 1 0.50x
Northumberland 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heigham in Norfolk leads with 18 Coans recorded in 1881 and an index of 124.22x.

Place Total Index
Heigham 18 124.22x
Stirling 14 171.57x
Hackney London 11 11.17x
St Pancras London 11 7.78x
Whitehaven 11 136.48x
Kirkley 8 446.93x
St Luke London 7 24.86x
Bethnal Green London 6 7.87x
Linthorpe 6 57.80x
Liscard 6 85.96x
Bishopwearmouth 5 11.15x
Dundee 5 8.23x
Glasgow 5 4.96x
Tanfield 5 80.52x
Abbey 4 19.27x
Conside Knitsley 4 98.52x
Edmondsley 4 714.29x
St Andrew Holborn London 4 52.63x
Wakefield 4 29.94x
Crompton 3 50.59x
Haslingden 3 34.76x
Hethel 3 3333.33x
Mulbarton 3 967.74x
Pennington In Leigh 3 75.00x
Elton 2 27.78x
Heap 2 18.10x
Leicester St Margaret 2 4.21x
Weaverham Cum Milton 2 196.08x
Wigan 2 6.87x
Bollington In 1 28.99x
Cheetham 1 6.44x
Cleator 1 15.90x
Crosscanonby 1 20.00x
Dalton In Furness 1 12.44x
East Greenock 1 7.78x
Edinburgh St Johns 1 67.57x
Govan 1 0.71x
Gulval 1 78.13x
Ince In Makerfield 1 10.32x
Islington London 1 0.59x
Kirkdale 1 2.85x
Leeds 1 1.02x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 7.39x
North Leith 1 9.19x
Paddington London 1 1.55x
Renfrew 1 22.27x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Coan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Coan surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Coan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 180 people were recorded with the Coan surname. That placed it at #13,735 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016. That gives Coan a modern rank of #12,978.

What does the Coan surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Comhdhain," meaning "descendant of Comhdhán" (a personal name of uncertain meaning).

What does the Coan map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Coan bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.