2000
#7,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,022
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Colston
Derived from a place name meaning "Cola's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement founded by someone named Cola.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,696 Americans carry the last name Colston. That puts it at #7,777 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colston 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 Colston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,989
Census rank
#7,777
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,095 bearers of the surname Colston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7777th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colston, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colston
Among Census respondents with the surname Colston, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Colston 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 Colston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.9% · 2,127
- Black or African American39.1% · 1,600
- Two or more races5.4% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colston
Colston 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
#7,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,363
+341 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 6 places
2020
#7,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,095
-268 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,623 | 4,022 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,617 | 4,363 | 1.48 | +341 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 6 places |
| 2020 | #7,777 | 4,095 | 1.37 | -268 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 160 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 Colston 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 | #7,617 | #7,777 | -2.1% |
| Count | 4,363 | 4,095 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.37 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colston bearers went from 4,363 to 4,095 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,617 to #7,777.
FAQ
Colston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colston?
Name Census estimates that about 4,696 living Americans carry the surname Colston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,989 residents.
How common is Colston?
Colston ranks #7,777 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,095 people with the surname Colston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Colston.
Has Colston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colston went from 4,363 recorded bearers to 4,095. That is a decrease of 268 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,617 to #7,777.
What does the Census say about the background of Colston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colston, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Colston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (2,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.9%), Black (39.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Colston (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 Colston mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Cola's town" in Old English, referring to a settlement founded by someone named Cola. 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 Colston (1.37 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 Americans have the surname Colston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.