2000
#27,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Colen
A surname derived from the Latin word "colonus" meaning a farmer or tenant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,167 Americans carry the last name Colen. That puts it at #25,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 293,706 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colen 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
1.2K
1 in 293,706
Census rank
#25,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,018 bearers of the surname Colen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colen, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.9%) and Black (20.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colen
The surname Colen has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "kolen," meaning "coal." This suggests that the name may have been occupational in nature, referring to those who worked with coal or lived near a coal mining area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colen can be found in the Rijksarchief (National Archives) in The Hague, where a document from 1285 mentions a person named Johannes Colen. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 13th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Netherlands experienced a period of economic prosperity and cultural flourishing, known as the Dutch Golden Age. This period saw the rise of many prominent figures bearing the surname Colen. One notable example is Pieter Colen (1566-1638), a Dutch painter and engraver who specialized in landscape and architectural scenes.
Another illustrious figure was Cornelis Colen (1625-1687), a Dutch cartographer and publisher who produced highly detailed maps of the Netherlands and neighboring regions. His work was renowned for its accuracy and meticulous detail, and his maps were widely used by merchants, navigators, and government officials.
In the 18th century, the name Colen continued to be associated with notable individuals in various fields. For instance, Jan Colen (1717-1783) was a celebrated Dutch composer and organist who made significant contributions to the development of church music in the Netherlands.
Moving into the 19th century, one cannot overlook the influence of Jan Colen (1801-1876), a prominent Dutch politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1868 to 1871. His tenure was marked by significant reforms in areas such as education and social welfare.
The name Colen has also been associated with various place names throughout the Netherlands, such as Colenbrander (meaning "coal burner") and Colenburg (possibly derived from a combination of "colen" and "burg," meaning "coal town" or "coal fortress").
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colen
Among Census respondents with the surname Colen, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.9%) and Black (20.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Colen 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 Colen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.6% · 535
- Hispanic or Latino22.9% · 233
- Black or African American20.0% · 204
- Two or more races2.8% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colen
Colen 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
#29,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 791
-41 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,427 places
2020
#25,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,018
+227 bearers (+28.7%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 4,285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,313 | 832 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,740 | 791 | 0.27 | -41 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 2,427 places |
| 2020 | #25,455 | 1,018 | 0.34 | +227 bearers (+28.7%) | Up 4,285 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 Colen 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 | #29,740 | #25,455 | 14.4% |
| Count | 791 | 1,018 | 28.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.34 | 26.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colen bearers went from 791 to 1,018 (+28.7% change). The surname moved up 4,285 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,740 to #25,455.
FAQ
Colen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colen?
Name Census estimates that about 1,167 living Americans carry the surname Colen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 293,706 residents.
How common is Colen?
Colen ranks #25,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 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 1,018 people with the surname Colen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 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 Colen.
Has Colen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colen went from 791 recorded bearers to 1,018. That is an increase of 227 (+28.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #29,740 to #25,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Colen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colen, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.9%) and Black (20.0%). 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 Colen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (535 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.6%), Hispanic (22.9%), Black (20.0%). 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 Colen (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 Colen mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "colonus" meaning a farmer or tenant. 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 Colen (0.34 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 common is the surname Colen?
Find out how many people have the surname Colen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.