2000
#7,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,903
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Collard
A surname derived from the Middle English word "col-yard," referring to a dweller by a coal yard or charcoal store.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,273 Americans carry the last name Collard. That puts it at #8,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collard 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 Collard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,214
Census rank
#8,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,726 bearers of the surname Collard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collard
The surname Collard is believed to have originated in France, and it can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "col," which means "cabbage" or "collard greens." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who grew or sold these vegetables.
The earliest recorded use of the name Collard can be found in a French census from the year 1185, where a family in the village of Vieux-Pont-sur-Meuse was listed as "les Collards." This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, the name Collard appeared in several medieval documents, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Longpont, where a certain "Robertus Collard" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in 1247.
During the 14th century, the name Collard began to spread throughout France, and it can be found in various records from different regions. For instance, in 1372, a "Jehan Collard" was listed as a resident of the town of Troyes in the Champagne region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Collard was a French knight named Guillemin Collard, who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 15th century. He was born around 1410 and is believed to have died in battle sometime between 1450 and 1460.
In the 16th century, the name Collard became more widespread across Europe, particularly in regions with strong French cultural influences. One notable individual from this period was Jean Collard, a French philosopher and theologian who lived from 1522 to 1584.
Another prominent figure with the surname Collard was Philbert Collard, a French architect and engineer who lived from 1637 to 1704. He is best known for his work on the construction of the Château de Versailles and the Palace of Fontainebleau.
As the centuries passed, the Collard name continued to spread throughout France and other parts of Europe, with many individuals bearing this surname making notable contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collard
Among Census respondents with the surname Collard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Collard 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 Collard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 3,299
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 138
- Two or more races3.5% · 131
- Black or African American2.7% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collard
Collard 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
#8,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,053
+150 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#8,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,726
-327 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 321 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,860 | 3,903 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,178 | 4,053 | 1.37 | +150 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #8,499 | 3,726 | 1.25 | -327 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 321 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 Collard 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 | #8,178 | #8,499 | -3.9% |
| Count | 4,053 | 3,726 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.25 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collard bearers went from 4,053 to 3,726 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 321 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,178 to #8,499.
FAQ
Collard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,273 living Americans carry the surname Collard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,214 residents.
How common is Collard?
Collard ranks #8,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,726 people with the surname Collard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Collard.
Has Collard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collard went from 4,053 recorded bearers to 3,726. That is a decrease of 327 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,178 to #8,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Collard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Collard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (3,299 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Collard (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 Collard mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "col-yard," referring to a dweller by a coal yard or charcoal store. 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 Collard (1.25 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 are called Collard?
See how many people are called Collard on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.