2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Calsyn
A corruption of the surname Colsun or Colson, derived from the English given name Colin or Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Calsyn. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calsyn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Calsyn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calsyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calsyn
The surname Calsyn is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Gaelic words "cal" meaning "narrow" and "sìon" meaning "hill" or "mount", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a narrow hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of documents recording the nobility and gentry who swore allegiance to Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Here, the name appears as "Calsyne".
In the 14th century, the name Calsyn cropped up in several charters and land records throughout the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. Some of these documents reference place names like "Calsyn Moor" and "Calsyn Burn", further reinforcing the name's geographical origins.
One notable bearer of the Calsyn name was John Calsyn, a Scottish nobleman who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. He was born around 1280 and is believed to have perished during the conflict.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Calsyn family settled in the coastal town of Inveraray, where they became prominent merchants and landowners. One member, Angus Calsyn (1525-1598), was a successful trader who established business ties with the Low Countries and France.
Another historical figure of note was Margaret Calsyn (1670-1743), a renowned herbalist and midwife who practiced in the Scottish Borders region. Her knowledge of traditional remedies and folk medicine was widely sought after, and she was said to have attended to many noble families in her time.
As the Calsyn name spread throughout Scotland and beyond, it evolved into various spellings such as Calzyn, Calzyne, and Calzien. In the 18th century, records show a family by the name of Calzien settling in the Shetland Islands, where they became involved in the fishing and whaling industries.
Other notable individuals with the Calsyn surname include Robert Calsyn (1810-1891), a Scottish poet and author who published several collections of verse celebrating the landscapes of his native Highlands, and Elspeth Calsyn (1845-1923), a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in Edinburgh.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calsyn
Among Census respondents with the surname Calsyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Calsyn bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Calsyn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calsyn
Calsyn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,758 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,758 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 2,130 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Calsyn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #151,639 | 1.4% |
| Count | 106 | 107 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calsyn bearers went from 106 to 107 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 2,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #151,639.
FAQ
Calsyn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calsyn?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Calsyn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Calsyn?
Calsyn ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Calsyn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Calsyn.
Has Calsyn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calsyn went from 106 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Calsyn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calsyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Calsyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calsyn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Calsyn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Calsyn mean?
A corruption of the surname Colsun or Colson, derived from the English given name Colin or Nicholas. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Calsyn (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Calsyn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.