Collin last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Collin

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Coileáin," meaning "descendant of Coileán" (a hound or whelp).

Collin, 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 Collin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Collin in America

Collin is the 10779th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Collin surname appeared 2,959 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Collin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Collin 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10779 10078 6.72%
Count 2,959 2,949 0.34%
Proportion per 100k 1.00 1.09 -8.61%

The history of the last name Collin

The surname COLLIN is of French origin, derived from the Latin name "Colinus" which means "little dove" or "young dove." It first emerged in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname COLLIN can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name was spelled as "Collin" in this record.

During the 12th century, the name COLLIN spread throughout France and into neighboring regions. It is believed that some individuals with this surname may have been associated with the cultivation or breeding of doves, as the name's meaning suggests.

One notable person with the surname COLLIN was Richard COLLIN (c. 1300-1370), a French poet and writer who lived during the Late Medieval period. He is known for his works on courtly love and chivalry.

In the 16th century, the surname COLLIN began appearing in various spellings, such as "Collyn," "Collin," and "Colyn," in records from England and Scotland. This was likely due to the migration of French and Norman families to these regions.

A famous bearer of the name COLLIN was David COLLIN (1598-1664), a Scottish minister and scholar who served as the Principal of the University of Edinburgh in the mid-17th century.

The COLLIN surname also has roots in Ireland, where it derived from the Gaelic name "O'Coluin," meaning "descendant of the young dove." One notable Irish figure with this surname was Philip COLLIN (1786-1844), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Irish House of Commons.

In the United States, the COLLIN surname can be traced back to early French and English settlers who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable American with this surname was Samuel COLLIN (1801-1876), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.

Throughout history, the surname COLLIN has been associated with various professions and backgrounds, from poets and scholars to lawyers and politicians. Its French and Latin origins, along with its connection to doves, have given it a distinct cultural and linguistic heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Collin

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

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 Collin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 77.05% 2,280
Non-Hispanic Black Only 13.42% 397
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.25% 37
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.54% 16
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.59% 47
Hispanic Origin 6.15% 182

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 Collin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 77.05% 76.06% 1.29%
Black 13.42% 15.87% -16.73%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.25% 1.05% 17.39%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.54% 0.34% 45.45%
Two or More Races 1.59% 1.63% -2.48%
Hispanic 6.15% 5.05% 19.64%

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 Collin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Collin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/collin-surname-popularity/.

"Collin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/collin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Collin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/collin-surname-popularity/.

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