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

Colston, 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 Colston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colston in America

Colston is the 7617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colston surname appeared 4,363 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 Colston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colston 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 Colston

The surname Colston originated in England, likely emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a settlement or village. One possible source is the Old English words "col" meaning charcoal and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, suggesting the name may have referred to a place where charcoal burning or related activities took place.

Another theory traces the name to the Old English personal name "Cola" combined with "tun," indicating it may have originated as a name for someone living in a settlement associated with a person called Cola. Early spellings of the name included Colston, Colestone, and Colstoune.

The Colston surname appears in historical records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known mentions is in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, which refers to a John de Colston. The name is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332, listing a Walter de Colston.

In the 16th century, the Colston surname is associated with several notable individuals. Sir John Colston (c. 1500-1558) was a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament. His grandson, Edward Colston (1636-1721), was a wealthy merchant, philanthropist, and member of the Anglican community in Bristol, England. Despite his charitable works, Colston's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade has sparked controversy in modern times.

Other historical figures with the Colston surname include John Colston (1608-1671), an English theologian and writer, and Thomas Colston (1668-1739), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Thetford.

In the 18th century, William Colston (1771-1854) was a notable English civil engineer and surveyor, known for his work on the Ellesmere Canal and other infrastructure projects.

Throughout its history, the Colston surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Colston Bassett in Nottinghamshire and Colston, a village in Somerset, further reflecting its locational origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colston

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

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

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

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