Coleman is an English and Irish surname with two origins: an Old English occupational name for a "charcoal burner", and the Irish Colmán, a diminutive of Colm meaning "little dove". The surname belongs to dozens of Irish saints and to jazz great Coleman Hawkins. As a first name Coleman peaked at number 544 in 2000, dropped out of the top 1000 in 2019 and ranks number 1311 in 2025.