Fun Facts About the Name Coe
- 244 babies named Coe: U.S. records list 244 babies given the name Coe from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Coe Mean?
Coe is an English surname that is also used occasionally as a given name. Its meaning is not settled. The explanation cited most often is that it began as a nickname from a word for the jackdaw, a small crow - Old English cēo, related to Old Norse ká, a bird name that imitates the bird's call. A nickname of this sort could have been applied to a talkative person as well as to someone compared to the bird.
A second line of explanation treats the surname as topographic or habitational, formed from a place name or a feature of the landscape rather than from a nickname. Because unrelated medieval bynames were often shortened to the same two or three letters, the single modern spelling Coe may cover more than one original name, and it should not be assumed to share an origin with similar-looking surnames such as Coy or Cow.
Coe Name History & Origins
Coe belongs to the large group of English surnames that grew out of bynames - informal second names - in the centuries after the Norman Conquest, when such descriptions gradually became fixed and passed down within families. Bird and animal nicknames were common in medieval England, which is why a word for the jackdaw is one proposed source of the name.
The surname appears in more than one spelling in English records, and different families using the modern spelling may not descend from a single ancestor. Coe is chiefly an English surname; it was carried to North America by English emigrants, and its use there as a first name is modern and rare, generally arising from the practice of passing a family surname down to a child rather than from an older independent tradition. The name is not a common first name, and no long separate history of it as a given name is documented.
Bearers of the surname include the British runner and politician Sebastian Coe and the American archaeologist Michael D. Coe; these are uses of the surname, not evidence about the origin of the name.
How Popular is the Name Coe?
Coe 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 2025. Its best rank was #2,862 in 1957.
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 | #4,275 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2024 | #4,902 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #5,103 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #7,867 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #6,780 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #8,193 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #9,056 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #7,702 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #12,431 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #10,986 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #11,001 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,623 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #8,269 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #12,382 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1993 | #4,759 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1992 | #7,587 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,338 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #7,122 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,482 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,177 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #5,022 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #5,111 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,862 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #3,911 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,818 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1934 | #3,775 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #3,967 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #4,279 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1914 | #3,348 | 5 | 0.0008% |
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 Coe 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 seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Coe's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Coe's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.