2000
#1,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,306
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.90
Uncommon Last name
Colbert
A French surname derived from the Old French word "colbert," meaning "dark-haired" or "coal-black beard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,907 Americans carry the last name Colbert. That puts it at #1,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,761 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colbert 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Colbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,761
Census rank
#1,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,720 bearers of the surname Colbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colbert
The surname Colbert is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "col" meaning "neck" and "bert" meaning "bright" or "famous." It is believed to have originated in the medieval era, around the 11th or 12th century, in the northern regions of France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colbert can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Coleberd," likely referring to a person with a distinctive or prominent neck.
In the 13th century, the name Colbert was associated with the town of Colbert-sous-Salmaise, located in the Côte-d'Or region of Burgundy, France. This place name may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
During the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century, Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) was a prominent French statesman and finance minister. His administrative reforms and promotion of mercantilism played a significant role in the economic development of France.
Another notable figure with the surname Colbert was Édouard-Philippe Colbert (1636-1710), a French nobleman and military officer who served as the Governor-General of French West Indies from 1677 to 1683.
In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste-Joachim Colbert (1734-1789) was a French nobleman and politician who served as the Minister of State under King Louis XVI.
The Colbert family also had a strong presence in the United States, with notable individuals such as Claudette Colbert (1903-1996), a renowned American actress who starred in films like "It Happened One Night" and "Since You Went Away."
Another prominent American with the Colbert surname was Stephen Colbert (born 1964), a celebrated comedian, writer, and television host known for his satirical news program "The Colbert Report" and his current role as the host of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
While the surname Colbert has evolved over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in northern France, where it was likely associated with a person's physical attributes or place of residence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Colbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Colbert 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 Colbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American44.7% · 9,703
- White42.9% · 9,313
- Two or more races6.6% · 1,433
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 776
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 371
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 124
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colbert
Colbert 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
#1,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,940
+1,634 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 7.78
Rank movement Down 26 places
2020
#1,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,720
-1,220 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 7.27
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,544 | 21,306 | 7.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,570 | 22,940 | 7.78 | +1,634 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 26 places |
| 2020 | #1,609 | 21,720 | 7.27 | -1,220 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 39 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 Colbert 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 | #1,570 | #1,609 | -2.5% |
| Count | 22,940 | 21,720 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 7.78 | 7.27 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colbert bearers went from 22,940 to 21,720 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,570 to #1,609.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Colbert
FAQ
Colbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colbert?
Name Census estimates that about 24,907 living Americans carry the surname Colbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,761 residents.
How common is Colbert?
Colbert ranks #1,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,720 people with the surname Colbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,907), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Colbert.
Has Colbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colbert went from 22,940 recorded bearers to 21,720. That is a decrease of 1,220 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,570 to #1,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Colbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colbert, the largest self-reported group is Black at 44.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.9%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Colbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.7% (9,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (44.7%), White (42.9%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Colbert (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 Colbert mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "colbert," meaning "dark-haired" or "coal-black beard." 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 Colbert (7.27 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 have the last name Colbert?
See how many people have the last name Colbert on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.