NameCensus.

UK surname

Coe

A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cofa," meaning a small shed or shelter.

In the 1881 census there were 4,851 people recorded with the Coe surname, ranking it #919 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,233, ranked #1,082, down from #919 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kettering, East Riding of Yorkshire and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coe is 6,769 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.5%.

1881 census count

4,851

Ranked #919

Modern count

6,233

2016, ranked #1,082

Peak year

1998

6,769 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coe had 4,851 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #919 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,233 in 2016, ranked #1,082.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,996 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Coe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Coe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Coe 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 3,051 #952
1881 historical 4,851 #919
1891 historical 34 #31,604
1901 historical 5,996 #925
1997 modern 6,604 #985
1998 modern 6,769 #997
1999 modern 6,759 #1,012
2000 modern 6,643 #1,025
2001 modern 6,466 #1,033
2002 modern 6,597 #1,033
2003 modern 6,495 #1,021
2004 modern 6,415 #1,041
2005 modern 6,274 #1,049
2006 modern 6,284 #1,044
2007 modern 6,311 #1,049
2008 modern 6,311 #1,052
2009 modern 6,452 #1,056
2010 modern 6,534 #1,061
2011 modern 6,479 #1,053
2012 modern 6,331 #1,058
2013 modern 6,417 #1,063
2014 modern 6,401 #1,070
2015 modern 6,297 #1,077
2016 modern 6,233 #1,082

Geography

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Where Coes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kettering, East Riding of Yorkshire, Mid Suffolk and Colchester. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kettering 002 Kettering
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 018 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Mid Suffolk 003 Mid Suffolk
4 Kettering 003 Kettering
5 Colchester 019 Colchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Coe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Coe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Coe, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Coe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Coe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Coe 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

Coe is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Coe 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 Coe 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 Coe, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Coe

The surname Coe has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "co," which means a small valley or low ground, suggesting that the name was originally a topographic surname given to someone who lived near a low-lying area or a small valley.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Coe can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John de la Cowe in Oxfordshire. This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution from its Old English roots.

During the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a William atte Cowe was mentioned. This alternate spelling, "atte Cowe," further reinforces the name's connection to its topographic origins.

In the 15th century, the surname Coe gained prominence with the birth of Robert Coe (c. 1460 - c. 1520), a notable English clergyman and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1508 to 1513.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Coe. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the surname's evolution, such as Covehithe in Suffolk and Cowpen in Northumberland.

Another notable bearer of the surname Coe was Sir Edmund Coe (1572 - 1634), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for the borough of Gatton during the reign of King James I. He played a significant role in the legal affairs of his time.

In the 18th century, the Coe family gained prominence with the birth of Thomas Coe (1718 - 1801), an English horticulturist and nurseryman who is credited with introducing several new plant species to England, including the Chinese Wisteria.

The 19th century saw the birth of James Coe (1838 - 1921), an American politician and businessman who served as the mayor of Bangor, Maine, and played a pivotal role in the development of the city's infrastructure.

Other notable individuals with the surname Coe include Sebastian Coe (born 1956), a British athlete and former Olympic champion in track and field, and David Coe (born 1962), an American singer-songwriter known for his work in the Christian music industry.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Coe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coe 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. Norfolk leads with 597 Coes recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.18x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 597 8.18x
Essex 583 6.22x
Middlesex 574 1.21x
Northamptonshire 399 8.94x
Suffolk 381 6.59x
Yorkshire 376 0.80x
Surrey 332 1.44x
Lancashire 244 0.43x
Cambridgeshire 220 7.32x
Kent 189 1.17x
Leicestershire 125 2.38x
Cheshire 119 1.14x
Durham 96 0.68x
Derbyshire 78 1.05x
Hertfordshire 70 2.14x
Sussex 54 0.67x
Northumberland 53 0.75x
Nottinghamshire 52 0.81x
Staffordshire 49 0.31x
Lincolnshire 42 0.55x
Gloucestershire 40 0.43x
Hampshire 24 0.25x
Glamorgan 22 0.27x
Devon 21 0.21x
Warwickshire 21 0.18x
Berkshire 18 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 14 0.49x
Worcestershire 12 0.19x
Bedfordshire 11 0.45x
Huntingdonshire 11 1.17x
Midlothian 8 0.13x
Cornwall 7 0.13x
Lanarkshire 6 0.04x
Dorset 4 0.13x
Shropshire 4 0.10x
Royal Navy 2 0.35x
Angus 1 0.02x
Channel Islands 1 0.07x
East Lothian 1 0.16x
Isle of Man 1 0.11x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.09x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x
Wiltshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Desborough in Northamptonshire leads with 234 Coes recorded in 1881 and an index of 697.88x.

Place Total Index
Desborough 234 697.88x
Lambeth 76 1.84x
Halstead 68 62.23x
Kettering 64 35.45x
St Pancras London 64 1.68x
West Ham 58 2.80x
Cherry Hinton 54 382.17x
Bollington In 43 46.11x
St Marylebone London 43 1.70x
Bermondsey 41 2.90x
Kirkby Mallory Earl 40 158.48x
Downham Market 39 77.80x
Kensington London 37 1.40x
Saffron Walden 35 35.36x
Bromley London 34 3.26x
Leicester St Margaret 33 2.57x
St Andrewthe Less 33 9.61x
Brighton 32 1.98x
Camberwell 31 1.02x
Islington London 31 0.67x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 30 6.85x
Bethnal Green London 30 1.46x
Great Waltham 30 78.62x
Bradford 29 2.55x
Cheetham 29 6.90x
Finchingfield 28 95.40x
Plumstead 27 5.00x
Battersea 26 1.49x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 26 23.97x
Poplar London 26 2.90x
St Osyth 26 114.14x
Bury St Edmunds St James 25 16.19x
Hampstead London 24 3.25x
Faversham 23 14.90x
Great Maplestead 23 358.26x
Mildenhall 23 37.45x
Ipswich St Mathew 22 13.58x
Stradishall 22 354.27x
Barnsley 21 4.33x
Bow London 21 3.48x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 21 16.02x
Halifax 21 3.04x
Hunslet 21 2.86x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 21 9.59x
Paddington London 21 1.20x
Ixworth 20 122.62x
Royston 20 71.79x
Wandsworth 20 4.38x
Wells Next Sea 20 47.00x
Kedington 19 124.26x
Swaffham 19 32.01x
Broughton In Salford 18 3.50x
Clerkenwell London 18 1.61x
Deptford St Paul 18 1.44x
Hackney London 18 0.68x
Leeds 18 0.68x
Manchester 17 0.67x
Northampton St Sepulchre 17 7.49x
Peterborough 17 5.26x
Bardwell 16 129.98x
Bradfield 16 8.83x
Enfield 16 5.14x
Everton 16 0.89x
Northampton Priory St 16 5.97x
Shoreditch London 16 0.78x
Southwark St George Martyr 16 1.68x
Westoe 16 2.00x
Willesden 16 3.58x
Brampton 15 14.44x
Cheshunt 15 13.12x
Croydon 15 1.17x
Hammersmith London 15 1.28x
Spotland 15 2.40x
Bedlington 14 5.94x
Beswick 14 9.72x
Chelsea London 14 0.98x
Huntingfield 14 241.38x
Lexden 14 37.22x
Reepham With Kerdiston 14 162.98x
Walsoken 14 31.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 284
Sarah 184
Elizabeth 175
Emma 100
Ellen 98
Eliza 91
Ann 88
Alice 78
Jane 72
Hannah 66
Emily 61
Annie 60
Harriet 57
Martha 46
Louisa 38
Maria 38
Charlotte 33
Florence 33
Susan 33
Caroline 26
Edith 25
Fanny 25
Lucy 24
Ada 23
Catherine 23
Clara 22
Margaret 21
Harriett 19
Agnes 18
Sophia 18
Amelia 17
Frances 17
Anna 16
Esther 16
Jessie 16
Rebecca 16
Julia 15
Kate 14
Matilda 14
Susannah 14
Anne 13
Ethel 13
Rose 13
Laura 12
Minnie 12
Gertrude 11
Grace 11
Amy 9
Eleanor 9
Lily 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 265
John 217
George 193
Charles 130
James 129
Henry 108
Thomas 95
Alfred 75
Arthur 74
Robert 74
Frederick 61
Joseph 56
Albert 52
Edward 48
Harry 44
Samuel 43
Walter 42
Richard 27
Ernest 25
David 24
Herbert 19
Fred 18
Francis 16
Frank 16
Benjamin 15
Wm. 12
Daniel 9
Elijah 9
Geo. 9
Horace 8
Isaac 8
Lewis 8
Christopher 7
Edwin 7
Fredk. 7
Fredrick 7
Edmund 6
Frederic 6
Josiah 6
Nathan 6
Nathaniel 6
Sidney 6
Ambrose 5
Chas. 5
Edgar 5
Jacob 5
Jesse 5
Joshua 5
Mark 5
Matthew 5

FAQ

Coe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,851 people were recorded with the Coe surname. That placed it at #919 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,233 in 2016. That gives Coe a modern rank of #1,082.

What does the Coe surname mean?

A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cofa," meaning a small shed or shelter.

What does the Coe map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Coe 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.