I don't know who the John Coates or Coats put these lists on, but it wasn't me. There are presently 300 John Coatses in the USA, not to mention John Coates, without ever Europe. Be aware, Rootsweb is a partner of Ancestry.com and all these messages are posted there. I'm sure that's the reason you don't see that many posts. My name is John Wayne Coats. Most John Coatses use their middle initial, just like my Dad told me to do. My Grandfather was John Webster Coats, named after his grandfather, John Webster Coats. I'm sure this is why James Robert Coats started signing his name James R. Coats in 1823. He finally figured out there were a bunch of James Coatses out there.