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Coffin Family History

Coffin Surname Meaning

English (southwestern England of Norman origin) and French: nickname from Middle English cofin coffin Old French cof(f)in (from Late Latin cophinus Greek kophinos) ‘container basket; coffer chest (for keeping treasures documents armour etc.)’. Early bearers of this as a hereditary surname were of knightly rank.

Old French cofin was synonymous with coffer and it may be that Cofin was used to denote a keeper of the (royal) coffer attested in Anglo-Latin cofferarius. Compare Coffer.

The modern English word coffin is a specialized development of this term not attested until the 16th century.

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


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Where is the Coffin family from?

You can see how Coffin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Coffin family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Coffin families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 188 Coffin families living in London. This was about 24% of all the recorded Coffin's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Coffin families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Coffin 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 Coffin ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Dairy Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Coffin. 8% of Coffin men worked as a Dairy Farmer and 76% of Coffin women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Coffin were General Labourer and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Coffin | 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

  • Dairy Farmer
    8%
  • Lorry Driver
    8%
  • Bricklayer
    8%
  • General Labourer
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    76%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%

What Coffin family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 96,000 census records available for the last name Coffin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Coffin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Coffin

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name Coffin. 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.

View all Coffin immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 17,000 military records available for the last name Coffin. For the veterans among your Coffin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Coffin military records

You've only scratched the surface of Coffin family history

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What is the average Coffin lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Coffin life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Coffin in 1944 was 45, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Coffin

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Coffin 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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