Fun Facts About the Name Coburn
- 252 babies named Coburn: U.S. records list 252 babies given the name Coburn from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Coburn Mean?
Coburn is an English and Scottish surname used as a given name; it is usually explained as a variant spelling of Cockburn, a habitational name from Cockburn in Berwickshire, Scotland. The place name comes from Old English cocc, meaning "cock" or "male bird" (often understood as woodcock in this topographical context), and burna, meaning "stream" or "brook." Its literal sense is therefore "cock's stream" or "stream of the cocks."
The spelling Coburn reflects the usual pronunciation of Cockburn, in which the medial -ck- is not sounded. It is not generally derived from the similar-looking English surname Colburn, which comes from a different place name meaning "charcoal stream." The two names can look alike, but their origins are distinct.
Coburn Name History & Origins
The surname originated as a place-based name in the Borders region between Scotland and England. Cockburn in Berwickshire is the usual source; the surname taken from that place appears in both Cockburn and Coburn spellings. The shorter spelling records the pronunciation that had already reduced the middle consonants, so Coburn developed as a phonetic or simplified variant rather than as a separate coinage.
From Scotland and northern England, the surname spread to Ireland, especially Ulster, and later to North America. As a first name, Coburn is a transferred surname, used mainly in English-speaking countries. It has appeared as a masculine given name in the United States and elsewhere, but it remains far more familiar as a surname.
How Popular is the Name Coburn?
Coburn has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1943. Its best rank was #2,434 in 1943.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,409 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #9,124 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #9,068 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #7,866 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #12,485 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #12,400 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #8,335 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #8,289 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #12,429 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,430 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #12,496 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #11,682 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #11,199 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #8,895 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #9,879 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #9,524 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #7,951 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,413 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #4,049 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #4,152 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1949 | #3,782 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,817 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #3,238 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,051 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #2,912 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1943 | #2,434 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1941 | #3,205 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1939 | #3,175 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,618 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,644 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,754 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #3,035 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #4,312 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #3,183 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #4,474 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #3,905 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #4,427 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #4,464 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,297 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #4,093 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1915 | #3,480 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1913 | #2,905 | 5 | 0.0010% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Coburn Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Coburn's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Coburn's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.