2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Collyar
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of collars.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Collyar. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collyar 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Collyar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collyar
The surname COLLYAR has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the occupational surname "Collier," which referred to a person who worked in a coal mine or traded in coal.
The earliest recorded instances of the name COLLYAR can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in various historical records and documents from that time. One notable example is the mention of a "Robert le Collyar" in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275.
During the 14th century, the name COLLYAR began to appear more frequently, particularly in regions of England where coal mining was prevalent, such as Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a "William le Collyar" in Oxfordshire, while the Pipe Rolls of 1301 mention a "John Collyar" in Nottinghamshire.
The surname COLLYAR is also believed to have derived from various place names in England, such as Collier's Green in Hertfordshire and Collier's Wood in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from the occupational term "Collier," indicating areas where coal miners or coal traders resided.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname COLLYAR was Sir John Collyar (c. 1320-1385), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Collyar (1450-1512), a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the reign of Henry VIII.
Other individuals of note who bore the surname COLLYAR include:
1. William Collyar (1580-1652), an English clergyman and author from Gloucestershire.
2. Robert Collyar (1628-1693), a merchant and philanthropist from London.
3. Elizabeth Collyar (1670-1738), a renowned poet and writer from Warwickshire.
4. Samuel Collyar (1702-1781), a successful banker and financier from Bristol.
5. James Collyar (1755-1822), a renowned architect and civil engineer from Lincolnshire.
The surname COLLYAR has evolved through various spellings over the centuries, including Colliar, Colliare, and Collyare, reflecting regional variations and the influence of local dialects. However, the core meaning and occupational origin of the name have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collyar
Among Census respondents with the surname Collyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Collyar 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 Collyar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 89
- Two or more races9.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collyar
Collyar 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+16 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,227 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-26 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 5,227 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 22,980 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 Collyar 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 | #130,610 | #153,590 | -17.6% |
| Count | 130 | 104 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collyar bearers went from 130 to 104 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 22,980 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #153,590.
FAQ
Collyar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collyar?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Collyar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Collyar?
Collyar ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Collyar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Collyar.
Has Collyar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collyar went from 130 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Collyar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collyar, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Collyar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collyar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Two or More Races (9.6%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Collyar (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 Collyar mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of collars. 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 Collyar (0.03 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 have the surname Collyar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.