2000
#18,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Colling
A dialectal English surname derived from a nickname meaning "coal-bearer" or "charcoal seller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,055 Americans carry the last name Colling. That puts it at #15,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colling 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 Colling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,790
Census rank
#15,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,792 bearers of the surname Colling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colling
The surname COLLING is of English origin, first appearing in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "col" meaning coal and "ing" denoting a place, likely referring to a settlement or village where coal was mined or traded. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190, where it appears as "Thomas de Coling".
The name COLLING is closely associated with the coalfields of Yorkshire and Northumberland in northern England. Several place names in these regions, such as Collingwood and Collingworth, share the same root, suggesting the name's origins are tied to these areas. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Colling, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297.
In the 14th century, the name COLLING appeared in the famous Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This entry provides evidence of the name's longevity and establishment in medieval England.
Notable historical figures with the surname COLLING include John Colling (1725-1795), an English farmer and one of the pioneers of selective breeding in livestock. His work on breeding cattle and horses laid the foundation for modern breeding practices. Another prominent bearer of the name was William Colling (1773-1854), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
Other individuals of note include Samuel Colling (1694-1763), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics. Thomas Colling (1784-1853) was a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
In the literary world, Mary Colling (1677-1762) was an English poet and translator, best known for her translations of works by Italian authors such as Tasso and Guarini. Her poetry collections were widely popular in the 18th century.
While the name COLLING has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have left their mark on various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colling
Among Census respondents with the surname Colling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Colling 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 Colling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 1,496
- Black or African American8.4% · 151
- Two or more races3.3% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colling
Colling 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
#24,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,042
-300 bearers (-22.4%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 5,290 places
2020
#15,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,792
+750 bearers (+72.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 8,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,847 | 1,342 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,137 | 1,042 | 0.35 | -300 bearers (-22.4%) | Down 5,290 places |
| 2020 | #15,694 | 1,792 | 0.60 | +750 bearers (+72.0%) | Up 8,443 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 Colling 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 | #24,137 | #15,694 | 35.0% |
| Count | 1,042 | 1,792 | 72.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.60 | 71.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colling bearers went from 1,042 to 1,792 (+72.0% change). The surname moved up 8,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,137 to #15,694.
FAQ
Colling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colling?
Name Census estimates that about 2,055 living Americans carry the surname Colling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,790 residents.
How common is Colling?
Colling ranks #15,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,792 people with the surname Colling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Colling.
Has Colling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colling went from 1,042 recorded bearers to 1,792. That is an increase of 750 (+72.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,137 to #15,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Colling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colling, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Colling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (1,496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Colling (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 Colling mean?
A dialectal English surname derived from a nickname meaning "coal-bearer" or "charcoal seller." 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 Colling (0.60 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 share the surname Colling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.