boys' name ★ peaked 1997

Coleman

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,311 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Colman.

Rank 2025
#1,311
among boys · ↓34 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
148
named Coleman · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,541
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1997
420 babies
All-time total
17,628
#891 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Coleman popularity over time

17,628 babies have been named Coleman since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 147 147 15 – #395
1890s – 169 169 17 +15% #377
1900s – 237 237 24 +40% #360
1910s – 931 931 93 +293% #433
1920s – 1,196 1,196 120 +28% #513
1930s 5 897 902 90 -25% #549
1940s – 901 901 90 0% #636
1950s – 817 817 82 -9% #721
1960s – 586 586 59 -28% #878
1970s – 533 533 53 -9% #1,024
1980s 7 1,277 1,284 128 +141% #689
1990s 5 3,052 3,057 306 +138% #497
2000s – 3,498 3,498 350 +14% #544
2010s 12 2,324 2,336 234 -33% #795
2020s (to 2025) – 1,034 1,034 172 -26% #1,022

Where Coleman is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 144 0.08 outside top 500
2027 140 0.08 outside top 500
2028 137 0.08 outside top 500
2029 134 0.08 outside top 500
2030 132 0.08 outside top 500

Where Coleman is most popular

Boys named Coleman per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.096 per 1,000. Strongest in South Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Coleman born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
South Carolina 51 0.494 +413%
Alabama 47 0.430 +347%
Kentucky 23 0.229 +138%
Georgia 55 0.217 +126%
Tennessee 37 0.205 +113%
Missouri 28 0.202 +110%
Virginia 38 0.200 +108%
North Carolina 46 0.180 +87%
Oklahoma 15 0.170 +76%
Oregon 10 0.132 +37%
Utah 11 0.115 +20%
Mississippi 6 0.106 +10%
Iowa 7 0.102 +6%
Texas 79 0.090 -7%
Florida 40 0.084 -12%
Pennsylvania 22 0.083 -14%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -23%
Massachusetts 10 0.073 -24%
Colorado 6 0.046 -52%
Ohio 10 0.038 -61%
Washington 5 0.031 -68%
Arizona 5 0.031 -68%
New York 9 0.021 -78%
California 19 0.021 -78%
Illinois 5 0.020 -80%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Coleman

Coleman is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,311 in 2025 with 148 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 17,628 American babies have been named Coleman. Its peak came in 1997, when 420 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Coleman stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Coleman?

The median living Coleman is about 25 years old; half are between 15 and 36. An estimated 13 thousand people named Coleman are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Coleman year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 148 #1,311
2024 – – 154 #1,277
2023 – – 176 #1,170
2022 – – 178 #1,158
2021 – – 175 #1,149
2020 – – 203 #1,022
2019 – – 182 #1,095
2018 – – 208 #995
2017 – – 246 #873
2016 – – 212 #971
2015 – – 251 #884
2014 5 #17,146 223 #948
2013 – – 252 #845
2012 – – 256 #841
2011 7 #13,680 221 #913
2010 – – 273 #795
2009 – – 276 #806
2008 – – 307 #742
2007 – – 350 #680
2006 – – 347 #661
2005 – – 363 #616
2004 – – 331 #637
2003 – – 368 #589
2002 – – 399 #554
2001 – – 369 #563
2000 – – 388 #544
1995 – – 340 #552
1990 – – 166 #786
1985 – – 140 #753
1980 – – 76 #1,039
1975 – – 57 #1,114
1970 – – 52 #1,142
1965 – – 54 #1,003
1960 – – 64 #945
1955 – – 70 #886
1950 – – 89 #727
1945 – – 72 #719
1940 – – 88 #636
1935 – – 73 #710
1930 – – 108 #576
1925 – – 126 #547
1920 – – 112 #591
1915 – – 116 #518
1910 – – 40 #433
1905 – – 21 #494
1900 – – 26 #449
1895 – – 12 #612
1890 – – 15 #494
1885 – – 17 #444
1880 – – 12 #538

Famous people named Coleman

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Coleman Hawkins Coleman Hawkins American jazz saxophonist (1904–1969) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Coleman, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Coleman?

The median living Coleman is about 25 years old. Half of all living Colemans are between 15 and 36 years old.

How many people named Coleman are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Coleman are alive in the United States, based on 17,628 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Coleman mean?

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Colman.

How popular is the name Coleman in 2025?

Coleman ranked #1,311 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 148 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Coleman?

17,628 babies have been named Coleman in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Coleman most popular?

Coleman peaked in 1997, when 420 newborns received the name.

Is Coleman a boy or girl name?

Coleman is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Coleman rising or falling?

Coleman is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Coleman become more popular?

Coleman is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 132 boys named Coleman in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Coleman?

Well-known people named Coleman include Coleman Hawkins (musician).

Names like Coleman

Names that sound and feel close to Coleman: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Coleman with similar names → More names starting with C →