NameCensus.

UK surname

Coyne

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cadhain," meaning "descendant of Cadhán" (a personal name meaning "wild goose").

In the 1881 census there were 1,580 people recorded with the Coyne surname, ranking it #2,681 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,836, ranked #1,767, up from #2,681 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Toxteth Park and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gravesham, Fylde and Manchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coyne is 3,991 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 142.8%.

1881 census count

1,580

Ranked #2,681

Modern count

3,836

2016, ranked #1,767

Peak year

2010

3,991 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coyne had 1,580 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,681 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,836 in 2016, ranked #1,767.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,839 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Coyne surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Coyne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Coyne 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 317 #7,308
1861 historical 627 #4,272
1881 historical 1,580 #2,681
1891 historical 1,437 #3,046
1901 historical 1,839 #2,858
1911 historical 1,770 #2,772
1997 modern 3,679 #1,763
1998 modern 3,769 #1,786
1999 modern 3,770 #1,801
2000 modern 3,710 #1,817
2001 modern 3,657 #1,801
2002 modern 3,756 #1,805
2003 modern 3,685 #1,800
2004 modern 3,716 #1,779
2005 modern 3,715 #1,760
2006 modern 3,702 #1,771
2007 modern 3,765 #1,753
2008 modern 3,774 #1,757
2009 modern 3,889 #1,751
2010 modern 3,991 #1,740
2011 modern 3,931 #1,740
2012 modern 3,817 #1,758
2013 modern 3,872 #1,769
2014 modern 3,914 #1,758
2015 modern 3,868 #1,755
2016 modern 3,836 #1,767

Geography

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Where Coynes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Toxteth Park, Manchester, Warrington and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gravesham, Fylde, Manchester, Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall and South Tyneside. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Warrington Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gravesham 003 Gravesham
2 Fylde 007 Fylde
3 Manchester 013 Manchester
4 Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall East Renfrewshire
5 South Tyneside 009 South Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Coyne

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Coyne

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Coyne surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Coyne household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Coyne is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Coyne is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Coyne falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Coyne is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Coyne

The surname Coyne is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Cuinn, which means "descendant of Conn." The name Conn was a common personal name in ancient Ireland, derived from the old Irish word "conn," meaning "reason" or "wisdom."

Coyne is an anglicized version of the original Gaelic name, which was commonly found in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the west of Ireland. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 13th century in Irish annals and manuscripts.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle, where it mentions a "Diarmaid Ó Cuinn" in the year 1244. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a famous chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions several individuals with the name Ó Cuinn from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish families with Gaelic surnames adopted anglicized versions of their names. This is when the spelling "Coyne" became more prevalent, as it was an anglicized version of the original Gaelic name Ó Cuinn.

Notable individuals with the surname Coyne throughout history include:

1. John Coyne (1763-1810), an Irish-American soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in Pennsylvania.

2. Michael Coyne (1874-1945), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Elphin from 1919 to 1945.

3. Kevin Coyne (1944-2004), an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his unique blend of folk, rock, and avant-garde styles.

4. Robert Coyne (1924-1997), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on political and business topics, including "The Improbable Bestseller."

5. John Coyne (1937-2021), an American novelist and screenwriter, best known for his novel "The Legacy" and his work on the TV series "The Waltons."

The surname Coyne has been prevalent in Ireland for centuries and has spread to various parts of the world through Irish immigration. While the spelling may have been anglicized over time, the name retains its roots in the ancient Gaelic tradition of Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Coyne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coyne 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. Lancashire leads with 513 Coynes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.80x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 513 2.80x
Durham 170 3.70x
Staffordshire 144 2.76x
Yorkshire 99 0.65x
Cheshire 84 2.46x
Warwickshire 75 1.92x
Lanarkshire 71 1.42x
Middlesex 59 0.38x
Derbyshire 51 2.11x
Northumberland 51 2.22x
Dunbartonshire 33 7.94x
Perthshire 28 4.03x
Angus 25 1.75x
Worcestershire 22 1.09x
Midlothian 19 0.92x
West Lothian 15 6.44x
Leicestershire 13 0.76x
Stirlingshire 13 2.28x
Cambridgeshire 10 1.02x
Lincolnshire 10 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 10 0.48x
Renfrewshire 10 0.83x
Hampshire 9 0.28x
Shropshire 7 0.52x
Fife 6 0.66x
Kent 6 0.11x
Isle of Man 5 1.74x
Somerset 5 0.20x
Devon 4 0.12x
Flintshire 4 0.96x
Monmouthshire 3 0.27x
Berkshire 2 0.17x
Hertfordshire 2 0.19x
Ayrshire 1 0.09x
Berwickshire 1 0.53x
Essex 1 0.03x
Northamptonshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.54x
Suffolk 1 0.05x
Surrey 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hedworth Monkton Jarrow in Durham leads with 111 Coynes recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.71x.

Place Total Index
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 111 55.71x
Liverpool 69 6.19x
Birmingham 60 4.62x
Manchester 39 4.73x
Barony 36 2.84x
Walsall Foreign 32 11.87x
Warrington 32 14.71x
Wolverhampton 30 7.48x
Leeds 27 3.12x
Toxteth Park 25 4.02x
North Shields 22 47.92x
Cardross 21 42.09x
Stoke Upon Trent 21 3.79x
Ashton Under Lyne 20 4.99x
Bilston 18 17.80x
Glasgow 18 2.03x
Oldham 18 3.04x
Birkenhead 17 6.25x
Farnworth 17 15.46x
Hulme 17 4.44x
Westoe 16 6.14x
Govan 15 1.21x
Offerton 15 797.87x
Wardleworth 15 14.31x
Aston 14 1.30x
Derby St Michael 14 275.59x
Great Bolton 14 5.76x
Kidderminster Borough 14 11.85x
Linlithgow 14 46.89x
Perth Middle Church 14 53.64x
Preston 13 2.65x
Salford 13 2.41x
Dewsbury 12 7.64x
Gateshead 12 3.48x
Little Lever 12 51.15x
Wigan 12 4.68x
Chester St John Baptist 11 17.93x
Dumbarton 11 19.02x
Newton In Makerfield 11 19.58x
Barrow In Furness 10 4.01x
March 10 30.50x
Newcastle Under Lyme 10 10.83x
Parr 10 15.23x
Stirling 10 13.91x
Bradford 9 2.43x
East Greenock 9 7.95x
Gorton 9 5.22x
Kilspindie 9 245.23x
Rushall 9 29.31x
Stayley 9 23.07x
Tynemouth 9 7.31x
Widnes 9 6.80x
Alnwick 8 20.23x
Burton Upon Trent 8 6.55x
Eckington 8 13.61x
Glossop Dale 8 7.06x
Leicester St Margaret 8 1.91x
St Marylebone London 8 0.97x
Airlie 7 152.51x
Bow London 7 3.56x
Claylane 7 20.80x
Clitheroe 7 12.96x
Dawley 7 14.40x
Dundee 7 1.31x
Garston 7 12.93x
Heaton Norris 7 6.70x
Holy Trinity 7 1.90x
Hyde 7 6.95x
Nottingham St Mary 7 1.30x
Ormskirk 7 19.94x
Radcliffe 7 7.92x
Sunderland 7 8.62x
Westleigh 7 16.80x
Beswick 6 12.79x
Bishopwearmouth 6 1.52x
Carnock 6 107.14x
Edmonton 6 4.82x
Hackney London 6 0.69x
Lundie 6 357.14x
Selby 6 18.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 188
Catherine 55
Bridget 46
Margaret 42
Ann 39
Ellen 31
Annie 20
Sarah 20
Kate 17
Elizabeth 16
Jane 9
Rose 8
Alice 7
Anne 7
Julia 7
Eliza 6
Emily 6
Harriet 6
Hannah 5
Agnes 4
Catharine 4
Emma 4
Margret 4
Margt. 4
Caroline 3
Cathrine 3
Elisabeth 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Bgt. 2
Christina 2
Clara 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Johannah 2
Marie 2
Minnie 2
Rosanna 2
Selina 2
Winnifred 2
Betsy 1
Betty 1
Delia 1
Eleanor 1
Elenor 1
Honora 1
Honour 1
Honra 1
Isabella 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 144
Thomas 105
Michael 64
James 62
Patrick 58
William 28
Martin 25
Peter 22
Edward 18
Charles 14
Joseph 13
Anthony 10
Thos. 10
Bernard 8
Philip 8
Henry 6
Mark 6
Alfred 5
Andrew 4
Arthur 4
Francis 4
George 4
Harry 4
Matthew 4
Richard 4
Hugh 3
Pat 3
Rodger 3
Stephen 3
Timothy 3
Bartholomew 2
Billy 2
Daniel 2
David 2
Edwd. 2
Fergus 2
Frederick 2
Harold 2
Jno. 2
Louis 2
Maurice 2
Phillip 2
Robert 2
Simon 2
Thos 2
Wm. 2
Corneilus 1
Criston 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1

FAQ

Coyne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coyne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,580 people were recorded with the Coyne surname. That placed it at #2,681 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coyne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,836 in 2016. That gives Coyne a modern rank of #1,767.

What does the Coyne surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cadhain," meaning "descendant of Cadhán" (a personal name meaning "wild goose").

What does the Coyne map show?

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