2000
#10,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Collison
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement of Cola's people," referring to an Old English personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,085 Americans carry the last name Collison. That puts it at #11,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collison 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 Collison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,104
Census rank
#11,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,690 bearers of the surname Collison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collison, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collison
Among Census respondents with the surname Collison, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Collison 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 Collison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 2,383
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 107
- Two or more races3.7% · 100
- Black or African American2.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collison
Collison 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
#11,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,780
-8 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 791 places
2020
#11,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,690
-90 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,557 | 2,788 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,348 | 2,780 | 0.94 | -8 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 791 places |
| 2020 | #11,235 | 2,690 | 0.90 | -90 bearers (-3.2%) | Up 113 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 Collison 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 | #11,348 | #11,235 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,780 | 2,690 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.90 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collison bearers went from 2,780 to 2,690 (-3.2% change). The surname moved up 113 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,348 to #11,235.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Collison
FAQ
Collison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collison?
Name Census estimates that about 3,085 living Americans carry the surname Collison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,104 residents.
How common is Collison?
Collison ranks #11,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,690 people with the surname Collison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Collison.
Has Collison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collison went from 2,780 recorded bearers to 2,690. That is a decrease of 90 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,348 to #11,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Collison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collison, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Collison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (2,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Collison (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 Collison mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement of Cola's people," referring to an Old English personal name. 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 Collison (0.90 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 Collison?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Collison on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.