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Coates Family History

Coates Name Meaning

English: status name for a cottager (see Cotter 2), or a topographic name for someone who lived in a relatively humble dwelling (from Middle English cotes, plural (or genitive) of cote, cott), or a habitational name from any of the numerous places named with this word, especially Coates in Cambridgeshire and Cotes in Leicestershire. Scottish: variant of Coutts. Americanized spelling of German and Jewish Kotz or German Koths, from a variant of the medieval personal name Godo (see Gottfried).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Goates, Coate, Gates, Cortes, Cater, Cates, Coats, Corte, Oates

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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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 1840 there were 30 Coates families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 16% of all the recorded Coates's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Coates families in 1840.
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.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Coates ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Coates. 18% of Coates men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Coates women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Coates were Truck Driver and Housekeeper. .

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 1940

  • Laborer
    18%
  • Farmer
    14%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    10%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 US 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 USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Coates immigration records

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

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