2000
#8,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,436
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Colter
An occupational surname for someone who made or sold knives, from the Old English word "culter" meaning knife.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,727 Americans carry the last name Colter. That puts it at #9,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colter 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 Colter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,965
Census rank
#9,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,250 bearers of the surname Colter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colter, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colter
Among Census respondents with the surname Colter, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Colter 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 Colter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.5% · 1,706
- Black or African American36.4% · 1,182
- Two or more races6.2% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colter
Colter 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
#8,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,705
+269 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#9,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,250
-455 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,784 | 3,436 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,843 | 3,705 | 1.26 | +269 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #9,566 | 3,250 | 1.09 | -455 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 723 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 Colter 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 | #8,843 | #9,566 | -8.2% |
| Count | 3,705 | 3,250 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.09 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colter bearers went from 3,705 to 3,250 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 723 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,843 to #9,566.
FAQ
Colter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,727 living Americans carry the surname Colter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,965 residents.
How common is Colter?
Colter ranks #9,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,250 people with the surname Colter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,727), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Colter.
Has Colter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colter went from 3,705 recorded bearers to 3,250. That is a decrease of 455 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,843 to #9,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Colter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colter, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.5%. The next largest groups are Black (36.4%) and Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Colter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.5% (1,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.5%), Black (36.4%), Two or More Races (6.2%). 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 Colter (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 Colter mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or sold knives, from the Old English word "culter" meaning knife. 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 Colter (1.09 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 have the last name Colter?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Colter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.