Show ContentsCoate History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Coate surname 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 Coate family

The surname Coate 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 Coate family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coate 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 Coate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coate Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Coate are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Coate include: Coates, Coate, Coats and others.

Early Notables of the Coate 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 Coate Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Coate family to Ireland

Some of the Coate 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.


United States Coate migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Coate or a variant listed above:

Coate Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Abraham Coate, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 5
  • Abraham Coate, who settled in Virginia in 1643
  • Thomas Coate, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 5
  • Leonard Coate, who settled in Virginia in 1670
  • Leonard Coate, who landed in Maryland in 1673 5

Canada Coate migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coate Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Martha Coate, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Coate (post 1700) +

  • Samuel Coate, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Burlington County, 1866-67 7
  • Robert L. Coate, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1964 8
  • Jesse R. Coate, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Montana State House of Representatives 43rd District, 2010 9
  • Florence Coate, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1936 10
  • Edward Coate, Australian fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Australian Air Force, during World War II, credited with 9 ½ aerial victories


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)
  6. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 21)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Samuel Coate. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Robert Coate. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Jesse Coate. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Florence Coate. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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