Contents [hide]

Coats History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Coats History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Coats belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived at the cotes which was in turn derived from the Old English word cote, which means at the cottage, which denotes that the initial bearer of this surname lived in a little cottage. 1 Due to the general meaning of the name, there are a few places named Coates in Britain including places in Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. 1 The last dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Cotes. 2

Early Origins of the Coats family

The surname Coats was first found in Staffordshire where the family are "descended from Richard de Cotes, who was probably son of Thomas de Coates, living in 1157, when the Black Book of the Exchequer was compiled." 3 At that time, he held large estates on the Salop, Staffordshire borders.

By 1273, the name was scattered throughout England as seen in the Hundredorum Rolls of that year: Egidius de Cotes, Norfolk; Robert de Cotes, Buckinghamshire; and Geoffrey de Cotes, Lincolnshire. And later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Thomas del Cotes; Johannes del Cotes; and Henricus del Cote as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Coats family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coats research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1210, 1273, 1556, 1609, 1682, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Coats History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coats Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Coats include Coates, Coate, Coats and others.

Early Notables of the Coats family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Thomas de Cotes, Knight of a land-holding family in the Salop-Stafford area; George Cotes (or Cotys) (died 1556), an English academic and a Catholic bishop during the...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coats Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coats Ranking

In the United States, the name Coats is the 2,122^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Coats family to Ireland

Some of the Coats family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coats migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Coats were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Coats Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Coats, who settled in Virginia in 1643
John Coats, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682

Coats Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Coats, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
James, Coats Jr., aged 14, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
John, Coats Jr., aged 39, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
William Coats, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 6
John Coats, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coats migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coats Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Coats, aged 32, a stonemason, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Harmony" in 1838
Anne Coats, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Harmony" in 1838
Catherine Coats, aged 9, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Harmony" in 1838
Margaret Ann Coats, aged 6 months, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Harmony" in 1838

Coats migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Coats Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Coats, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Coats, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Margaret Coats, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Sultana" 9
Margaret Coats, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sultana" in 1850 9

Coats migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Coats Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Esq. Walter Coats (Coutts), Australian settler travelling from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria aboard the ship "Earl Stanhope" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Coats (post 1700) +

Robert C. Coats, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 9 aerial victories
William F. Coats, American Republican politician, Chair of Bartholomew County Republican Party, 1905; Postmaster at Columbus, Indiana, 1905-11 11
Wendell Coats, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 2008 12
Walter H. Coats, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1880, 1884 13
W. J. Coats, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1956 14
Thomas H. Coats, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 22nd District, 1852-53 15
Roosevelt Coats, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1996 16
Joseph W. Coats, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 15th District, 1934 17
Joseph Coats, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Indiana State Constitutional Convention, 1850-51 17
John R. Coats, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Johnston County, 1865-66 18
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SULTANA 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Sultana.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) William Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Wendell Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Walter Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) W. Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Thomas Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Roosevelt Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Joseph Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) John Coats. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html