Coakley
An Irish surname, probably from a Gaelic personal name or byname, though the exact original form is not fully certain.
The #5,666 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,391 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Coakley is an Irish surname, and the historical dictionaries connect it with a Gaelic name written in forms that are difficult to read consistently in old print. The usual interpretation is that it reflects an anglicized Gaelic personal name or byname, rather than an English occupational term. Because the OCR is unclear and the old sources give only brief cross-references, the exact Gaelic source form is uncertain.
History
The surname is especially associated with Ireland, and the cited Irish surname studies place it in Irish records rather than English ones. Later anglicized spellings stabilized as Coakley, while older Gaelic spellings could appear in several similar-looking forms. In modern usage it is relatively uncommon but well established, especially among Irish-descended families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century Irish surname source specifically notes Coakley in Cork.
From the historical record
“*tnAC CAOCfile, iriAC CaocIaoic Coakley, Keheliy. Kehilly; Keily ; Kelly, etc. *1TIAC CAOiiiAnAij, MacCavanagh triAC CAOilre, MacCaoilte. triAC CA|Aluif, Corless, Carlos.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames