2000
#10,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Collin
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Coileáin," meaning "descendant of Coileán" (a hound or whelp).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,955 Americans carry the last name Collin. That puts it at #11,647 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,991 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collin 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 Collin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,991
Census rank
#11,647
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,577 bearers of the surname Collin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11647th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collin
Among Census respondents with the surname Collin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Collin 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 Collin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 1,901
- Black or African American12.2% · 314
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 234
- Two or more races2.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collin
Collin 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
#10,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,959
+10 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 701 places
2020
#11,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,577
-382 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 868 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,078 | 2,949 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,779 | 2,959 | 1.00 | +10 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 701 places |
| 2020 | #11,647 | 2,577 | 0.86 | -382 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 868 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 Collin 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 | #10,779 | #11,647 | -8.1% |
| Count | 2,959 | 2,577 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.86 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collin bearers went from 2,959 to 2,577 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 868 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,779 to #11,647.
FAQ
Collin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,955 living Americans carry the surname Collin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,991 residents.
How common is Collin?
Collin ranks #11,647 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,577 people with the surname Collin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Collin.
Has Collin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collin went from 2,959 recorded bearers to 2,577. That is a decrease of 382 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,779 to #11,647.
What does the Census say about the background of Collin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collin, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Collin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (1,901 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.8%), Black (12.2%), Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Collin (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 Collin mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Coileáin," meaning "descendant of Coileán" (a hound or whelp). 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 Collin (0.86 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 Collin?
If you just want to know how common the surname Collin is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.