Coleman is a name of Irish origin and it means "descendant of Colmáin". Colmáin was a tenth-century Irish saint who was known for his scholarship and learning. The name Coleman is derived from the Old Irish personal name Colmáin, which itself comes from the elements colm, meaning "dream", andán, meaning "little". Thus, Coleman literally means "descendant of the little dreamer".
The name Coleman has been popular in Ireland for centuries and it has also gained popularity in other English-speaking countries such as England, Scotland, Wales, and the United States. In fact, according to the Social Security Administration's data, Coleman was one of the top 1000 boys' names in the U.S. from 2000 to 2019.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures named Coleman. One of the most famous is Coleman Hawkins, an American jazz musician who was considered one of the leading tenor saxophonists in the 1930s and 1940s. Another notable figure is Coleman Young Jr., an American politician who served as the mayor of Detroit from 1974 to 1993.
In literature, Coleman has been used as a character name in several works. For example, it is the name of the protagonist in "The Last Temptation of Christ" by Nikos Kazantzakis and also appears in the novel "Atonement" by Ian McEwan.
Overall, Coleman is a strong and distinctive Irish name with a rich history and meaningful origins. It has been embraced by various cultures and continues to be popular as a boys' name today.
Coleman is a unique and interesting name that has seen its popularity fluctuate over the years in the United States. Based on the statistics provided, we can observe several trends regarding the number of births with the name Coleman.
From 1880 to around 1945, the number of births with the name Coleman varied between a low of 7 births in some years to a high of 25 births in others. However, it is important to note that during this period, the overall population of the United States was much smaller than it is today, which means that these numbers represent a relatively small proportion of total births.
Starting around 1946, there is a noticeable increase in the number of births with the name Coleman, with over 80 births recorded each year. This trend continues until the late 1970s, when the popularity of the name begins to decline once again. Between 1978 and 1990, the number of births with the name Coleman fluctuates between around 40 and 160 births per year.
The peak in popularity for the name Coleman comes in the mid-1990s, with over 300 births recorded each year from 1992 to 1995. This represents a significant increase in popularity compared to previous decades. However, after this peak, the number of births with the name Coleman begins to decline once again.
Since around 2010, the popularity of the name Coleman has continued to fluctuate, but it has generally remained relatively stable, with between around 150 and 300 births recorded each year. In recent years, the number of births with the name Coleman has been declining slightly, with only 176 births recorded in 2023.
Overall, while the popularity of the name Coleman has fluctuated over the years, it has remained a relatively uncommon name compared to many others. However, it is clear that there have been periods of increased popularity for the name, particularly in the mid-20th century and again in the mid-1990s. Despite these fluctuations, the name Coleman continues to be chosen by parents for their children, with a total of 17,297 births recorded with this name in the United States since 1880.