2000
#2,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,388
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.22
Uncommon Last name
Coyne
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cadhain," meaning "descendant of Cadhán" (a personal name meaning "wild goose").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,691 Americans carry the last name Coyne. That puts it at #3,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coyne surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Coyne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,008
Census rank
#3,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,067 bearers of the surname Coyne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coyne
The surname Coyne is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Cuinn, which means "descendant of Conn." The name Conn was a common personal name in ancient Ireland, derived from the old Irish word "conn," meaning "reason" or "wisdom."
Coyne is an anglicized version of the original Gaelic name, which was commonly found in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the west of Ireland. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 13th century in Irish annals and manuscripts.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a medieval Irish chronicle, where it mentions a "Diarmaid Ó Cuinn" in the year 1244. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a famous chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions several individuals with the name Ó Cuinn from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish families with Gaelic surnames adopted anglicized versions of their names. This is when the spelling "Coyne" became more prevalent, as it was an anglicized version of the original Gaelic name Ó Cuinn.
Notable individuals with the surname Coyne throughout history include:
1. John Coyne (1763-1810), an Irish-American soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in Pennsylvania.
2. Michael Coyne (1874-1945), an Irish-born prelate who served as the Bishop of Elphin from 1919 to 1945.
3. Kevin Coyne (1944-2004), an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his unique blend of folk, rock, and avant-garde styles.
4. Robert Coyne (1924-1997), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on political and business topics, including "The Improbable Bestseller."
5. John Coyne (1937-2021), an American novelist and screenwriter, best known for his novel "The Legacy" and his work on the TV series "The Waltons."
The surname Coyne has been prevalent in Ireland for centuries and has spread to various parts of the world through Irish immigration. While the spelling may have been anglicized over time, the name retains its roots in the ancient Gaelic tradition of Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coyne
Among Census respondents with the surname Coyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Coyne bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Coyne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 10,300
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 297
- Two or more races2.7% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 92
- Black or African American0.5% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coyne
Coyne appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,525
+137 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#3,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,067
-458 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.70
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,890 | 11,388 | 4.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,130 | 11,525 | 3.91 | +137 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #3,183 | 11,067 | 3.70 | -458 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 53 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Coyne surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,130 | #3,183 | -1.7% |
| Count | 11,525 | 11,067 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.70 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coyne bearers went from 11,525 to 11,067 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,130 to #3,183.
FAQ
Coyne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coyne?
Name Census estimates that about 12,691 living Americans carry the surname Coyne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,008 residents.
How common is Coyne?
Coyne ranks #3,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,067 people with the surname Coyne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Coyne.
Has Coyne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coyne went from 11,525 recorded bearers to 11,067. That is a decrease of 458 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,130 to #3,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Coyne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coyne, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Coyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (10,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coyne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Coyne (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Coyne mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Cadhain," meaning "descendant of Cadhán" (a personal name meaning "wild goose"). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Coyne (3.70 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Coyne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.