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Coates Family History

Coates Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of numerous places called Coates for example in Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Sussex and Wiltshire; Cotes in Leicestershire or Staffordshire; or possibly from Coat in Somerset, Cote in Oxford and Yorkshire, with excrescent -s; or possibly from any of numerous other places similarly named from the new Middle English plural form cotes of Old English cot (plural cotu) ‘cottage’, also ‘shelter’ and sometimes ‘woodman's hut’.

It is possible that some bearers may be from a place whose current name is from the dative plural form of this word cotum, for example Coatham (Durham) or Cottam, Cotham (Nottinghamshire), or from the plural of the related weak noun cote, plural coten.

Cotham (Nottinghamshire) is early recorded as Cotes, and Coton (Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire) have many similar spellings. See also Coate.

There are very small places in Midlothian, East Lothian and Fife called Coates, but the surname seems rarely if ever to be Scottish in origin.

Americanized form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Kotz or perhaps German Koths.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Coates family from?

You can see how Coates families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Coates family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Coates families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 3,544 Coates families living in Yorkshire. This was about 32% of all the recorded Coates's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Coates families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Coates surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Coates ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Coates. 8% of Coates men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Coates women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Coates were Bricklayer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Coates | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Coates family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 292,000 census records available for the last name Coates. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Coates census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Coates

Passenger Lists

There are 30,000 immigration records available for the last name Coates. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 35,000 military records available for the last name Coates. For the veterans among your Coates ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Coates family history

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What is the average Coates lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Coates life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Coates in 1940 was 53, and 72 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Coates

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Coates ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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