2000
#3,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,373
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Colson
Derived from a Scandinavian personal name composed of the elements "kol," meaning "coal," and "son," meaning "son."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,739 Americans carry the last name Colson. That puts it at #3,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,917 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colson 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 Colson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,917
Census rank
#3,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,365 bearers of the surname Colson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colson
The surname Colson is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "colu," meaning "dark-complexioned" or "swarthy," and the suffix "-son," indicating "son of." It emerged during the medieval period in various regions of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was established in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The name is thought to have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to an individual with a dark complexion or swarthy appearance. It was initially given as a nickname to distinguish someone from others in the same community.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Colson, Colsun, and Colsone, reflecting the regional dialects and inconsistent spellings of the time. Some early bearers of the name included John Colsun, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230, and William Colson, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
Notable historical figures with the surname Colson include:
1. Sir John Colson (c. 1540-1609), an English politician and sheriff of London.
2. Nathaniel Colson (1599-1663), an English politician and lawyer who served as a member of Parliament.
3. Lancelot Colson (1628-1711), an English mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to the development of calculus.
4. Francis Colson (1678-1751), an English novelist and translator, best known for his English translation of Voltaire's works.
5. Richard Colson (1804-1890), an English surveyor and architect who designed many buildings in London.
The name Colson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Colson Bassett in Nottinghamshire and Colson in Wiltshire, further solidifying its historical roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colson
Among Census respondents with the surname Colson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Colson 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 Colson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 7,033
- Black or African American17.1% · 1,605
- Two or more races3.9% · 366
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colson
Colson 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
#3,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,710
+337 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#3,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,365
-345 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,488 | 9,373 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,666 | 9,710 | 3.29 | +337 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #3,689 | 9,365 | 3.13 | -345 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 23 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 Colson 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 | #3,666 | #3,689 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,710 | 9,365 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.29 | 3.13 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colson bearers went from 9,710 to 9,365 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,666 to #3,689.
FAQ
Colson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colson?
Name Census estimates that about 10,739 living Americans carry the surname Colson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,917 residents.
How common is Colson?
Colson ranks #3,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,365 people with the surname Colson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,739), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Colson.
Has Colson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colson went from 9,710 recorded bearers to 9,365. That is a decrease of 345 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,666 to #3,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Colson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Colson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (7,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Colson (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 Colson mean?
Derived from a Scandinavian personal name composed of the elements "kol," meaning "coal," and "son," meaning "son." 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 Colson (3.13 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 Colson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.