Collett
A feminine French name derived from Nicolas, meaning "victory of the people".
Name Census estimates that about 36 living Americans carry the first name Collett. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Collett today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Collett births was 1982 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Collett. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Collett. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
36
~ 1 in 9,520,954 Americans
Peak year
1982
7 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1998 SSA rank
#12,793
Tracked since 1953
Census
Collett in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 190 people with the first name Collett, which placed it at #39,614 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#39,614
National first-name rank
People counted
190
190 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collett
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Collett is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Collett described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Collett at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.8% · 125
- Black or African American23.7% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 8
- Two or more races3.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Popularity
Collett: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Collett from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Collett remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Collett by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Collett during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Collett
The name Collett is an English name with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a diminutive or pet form of the name Nicholas, which was derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people." The first recorded use of the name Collett can be traced back to the late 13th century in England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Collett was Sir Collett Waleraund, a knight who lived in the 14th century and served under King Edward III of England during the Hundred Years' War against France. He was mentioned in historical records for his bravery and service to the crown.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Collett Cawdron was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, England. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributions to the local community.
During the 16th century, a notable individual named Collett Dobson lived in Yorkshire, England. He was a respected scholar and author, known for his writings on theology and philosophy.
In the 17th century, Collett Mawhood was a prominent figure in the English Civil War, serving as a captain in the Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several key battles and was commended for his military service.
Another notable bearer of the name Collett was Sir Collett Mulleneux, a British naval officer who lived in the 18th century. He served with distinction in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, earning recognition for his bravery and leadership.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Collett, showcasing its longstanding tradition and significance in English culture and history.
People
Collett + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Collett as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Collett: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Collett?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 36 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Collett going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,520,954 US residents.
Is Collett a common name?
We classify Collett as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Collett most popular?
The single biggest year for Collett was 1982, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Collett is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Collett in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 190 people with the name Collett, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,614 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Collett in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Collett?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Collett leans strongly female. 168 people counted with this name were female (88.4%), compared with 22 male bearers (11.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Collett?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Collett is White at 65.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.7%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Collett most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Collett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (125 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Collett in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Collett a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Collett in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Collett still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Collett in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Collett can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Collett?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Collett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.