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

Collison, 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 Collison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Collison in America

Collison is the 11348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Collison surname appeared 2,780 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 Collison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Collison 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 Collison

The surname Collison has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words 'col' meaning coal and 'hierde' meaning shepherd or herdsman. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where coal was mined and shepherds or herdsmen worked.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Collison surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1198, where a person named Willelmus Colherder is mentioned. This spelling variation supports the theory of the name's origin from 'col' and 'hierde'.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname appeared in various records across England, including the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, which lists a Johannes Colhird, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which mentions a Thomas Colherde.

In the 16th century, the Collison surname can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1523, where a Thomas Collyson is recorded. This spelling variation further highlights the evolution of the name over time.

One notable historical figure bearing the Collison surname was Robert Collison (1569-1639), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

Another prominent individual was John Collison (1625-1690), an English mathematician and astronomer who was a Fellow of the Royal Society and known for his work on comets and lunar eclipses.

In the 18th century, Edward Collison (1701-1786) was an English lawyer and politician who served as the Recorder of London from 1753 to 1786.

Moving into the 19th century, William Collison (1801-1875) was a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St John the Evangelist in Notting Hill.

Lastly, one of the more recent historical figures with the Collison surname was Kenneth Collison (1907-1987), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Bears in the 1930s and later served as a coach for several college teams.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Collison

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

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

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

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