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

Colter, 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 Colter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colter in America

Colter is the 8843rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colter surname appeared 3,705 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 Colter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colter 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 Colter

The surname Colter originates from the Old English words 'col' meaning charcoal or coal, and 'teru' meaning a resinous wood used for kindling. It was an occupational name for a maker or seller of charcoal, particularly in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England where the name first emerged in the 12th century.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in 1246 as 'Coltur'. Other early spellings include 'Colter' in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379, and 'Coltere' in the Wills Records at Chester in 1591.

The name is also found in some of the earliest English census records, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 which list a John Colter in Rochdale, Lancashire. In Scotland, the name is first recorded in the Parish Records of Dumfries in 1684 when a William Colter is mentioned.

Notable historical figures with the surname Colter include John Colter (c.1775-1813), an American explorer and member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was one of the first white men to see the region of present-day Yellowstone National Park.

Another significant bearer of the name was Sir Mark Colter (1862-1935), a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1921-1922. He was knighted for his philanthropic work and contributions to the city.

Other early examples include William Colter (1580-1662), an English clergyman and author of several religious works in the 17th century, and Thomas Colter (1725-1795), a Scottish inventor and engineer credited with developing an early steam engine design.

In the United States, the name is also associated with John Colter Jr. (1803-1890), a fur trapper and mountain man who explored the Rocky Mountains and the American West in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colter

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

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

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

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