Given name & surname
Coulson
“of the victorious people”
Coulson is a form of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In French use, Coulson carries the interpretation “of the victorious people.” Coulson is a form of Nicholas. One Greek interpretation is “of the victorious people.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
Coulson is used as a form of Nicholas.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1995. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Coulson is a form of Nicholas. The history of Nicholas gives this family its wider story. Nicholas’s Christian associations include Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop of Myra in Lycia, about whom virtually nothing factual is known.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Coulson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 478
- 478 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 48 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #5,248 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −36%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,248 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 36.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 48 in 2015. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 359 as a first name in 2020; 4,607 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Coulson’s family of names
In English usage, Coulson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Cole. Coulson is a form of Nicholas. Coulson has a related form in Colson.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Coulson
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Coulson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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