Find out how popular the last name Colin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Colin.

Colin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Colin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colin in America

Colin is the 4270th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colin surname appeared 8,318 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Colin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Colin

The surname Colin has its origins in Scotland and northern England. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Colin," which is a diminutive form of the name "Col" or "Col," meaning "neck" or "dove." The name was likely brought to Britain by Norman settlers during the 11th and 12th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Colinus." The name was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands and the northern counties of England, such as Northumberland and Cumberland.

In the 13th century, the surname Colin appeared in various medieval records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable example from this period is William Colin, a Scottish landowner from Berwickshire, who was recorded in the Ragman Rolls.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Colin became more widespread across Scotland and northern England. Notable individuals with the surname during this period include Sir John Colin (1563-1618), a Scottish politician and landowner, and Robert Colin (1592-1662), a Scottish minister and theologian.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several prominent figures bore the surname Colin. These include Sir William Colin (1720-1790), a Scottish merchant and landowner, and John Colin, 3rd Earl of Portmore (1700-1785), a British army officer who served in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

The surname Colin has also been associated with various place names in Scotland and northern England, such as Colin Glen in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Colintraive in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. These place names may have derived from individuals bearing the surname Colin who once lived or owned land in these areas.

Throughout its history, the surname Colin has undergone various spellings, including Collin, Colyne, and Colyn, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences in different parts of Scotland and northern England. Despite these variations, the surname has maintained its distinctive Scottish and northern English origins and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, including politics, religion, and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Colin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Colin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Colin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Colin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Colin, please contact us.

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