Colo last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Colo

A surname of Italian origin referring to a colonist or descendant of settlers.

Colo, 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 Colo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colo in America

Colo is the 50467th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colo surname appeared 414 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Colo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colo 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank5046751458-1.94%
Count4143808.56%
Proportion per 100k0.140.140.00%

The history of the last name Colo

The surname COLO is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "colonus," which means "settler" or "farmer."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the 12th century, where a certain "Guilielmus Colo" was mentioned as a landowner in the town of Asti, Piedmont. This suggests that the name may have been associated with those who worked in agriculture or settled on particular lands.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Milan, where several families bearing the surname COLO were involved in the wool trade and textile industry. This could indicate that the name might have also been adopted by those engaged in these professions.

During the Renaissance period, the name COLO gained prominence in the arts and literature. One notable figure was Pietro COLO, a renowned painter from Bergamo, who lived from 1520 to 1592. His works, which included religious frescoes and portraits, can still be found in various churches and museums throughout northern Italy.

In the 16th century, a branch of the COLO family settled in the town of Montepulciano, in Tuscany. One of the most famous members of this lineage was Giovanni COLO, a celebrated architect who designed several churches and palaces in the region. He lived from 1555 to 1631.

Another prominent figure with the surname COLO was Giacomo COLO, a scholar and philosopher from Turin, who lived from 1680 to 1748. He wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics, and his works were widely studied in universities across Europe.

In the 19th century, the name COLO was also found in the Italian diaspora, as many families migrated to other parts of the world. One such individual was Antonio COLO, a businessman and community leader who settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the late 1800s. He played a significant role in establishing the Italian community in that city.

Throughout its history, the surname COLO has been associated with various professions, from agriculture and trade to the arts and academia. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, the name has since spread to different parts of the world, carried by those who left their homeland in search of new opportunities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colo

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

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 Colo was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only73.91%306
Non-Hispanic Black Only7.97%33
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin17.15%71

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 Colo has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White73.91%84.47%-13.34%
Black7.97%5.00%45.80%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%2.37%(S)%
Hispanic17.15%7.89%73.96%

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

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

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