2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Coleburn
A locational surname indicating a resident of a place with coal or a charcoal burner's dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Coleburn. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coleburn 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Coleburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coleburn
The surname Coleburn is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place called Colburn, which is a township in the parish of Grinton, North Riding of Yorkshire. The name itself is composed of two elements: "col," meaning charcoal or coal, and "burn," referring to a stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Coleburn can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Richard de Colburn is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 14th century. The Coleburn family was likely associated with the coal mining or charcoal burning industries in the region, which lends credence to the etymological interpretation of the name.
In the 16th century, the Coleburn family appears to have spread beyond Yorkshire. Records from the reign of Elizabeth I mention a Roger Coleburn, who was a merchant in London during the late 1500s. The variant spelling "Colborne" was also commonly used during this period.
The Coleburn name is linked to several notable historical figures. One such individual was Sir John Coleburn (1559-1629), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex in the early 17th century. Another prominent Coleburn was Robert Coleburn (1692-1758), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in and around London.
In the 18th century, the Coleburn family had a presence in both England and the American colonies. William Coleburn (1720-1789) was a wealthy plantation owner in Virginia, while his cousin, Samuel Coleburn (1728-1802), was a successful merchant in Bristol, England.
During the 19th century, the Coleburn surname was associated with several notable intellectuals and artists. One such figure was Mary Coleburn (1818-1892), an English writer and poet who published several volumes of poetry and prose. Another was Isaac Coleburn (1835-1911), a renowned sculptor and painter whose works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe.
Throughout its history, the Coleburn surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Colborne, Colburn, Colebron, and Colebran. However, the core meaning and origin remain rooted in the Yorkshire township of Colburn and its association with the coal or charcoal industries of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coleburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Coleburn 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 Coleburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 76
- Black or African American22.8% · 23
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coleburn
Coleburn 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+19 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 6,019 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-45 bearers (-30.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 36,417 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +19 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 6,019 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -45 bearers (-30.8%) | Down 36,417 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 Coleburn 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 | #118,853 | #155,270 | -30.6% |
| Count | 146 | 101 | -30.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -32.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coleburn bearers went from 146 to 101 (-30.8% change). The surname moved down 36,417 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #155,270.
FAQ
Coleburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coleburn?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Coleburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Coleburn?
Coleburn ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Coleburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Coleburn.
Has Coleburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coleburn went from 146 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 45 (-30.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Coleburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coleburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.8%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Coleburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coleburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (22.8%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Coleburn (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 Coleburn mean?
A locational surname indicating a resident of a place with coal or a charcoal burner's dwelling. 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 Coleburn (0.03 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 Coleburn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.