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

Colville, 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 Colville surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colville in America

Colville is the 20709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colville surname appeared 1,277 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Colville.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colville 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 Colville

The surname Colville originated in Normandy, France, and is derived from the Old French words "col" meaning "hill" and "ville" meaning "town." It was likely adopted by a family residing near a town situated on a hill. The name first appeared in English records following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Coluile" and was recorded in various counties across England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Yorkshire.

In Scotland, the Colville family held lands in the Scottish Borders region, and the name is closely associated with the town of Culross in Fife. Sir John Colville (1480-1549) was a prominent Scottish politician and diplomat who served as Lord Justice Clerk and played a significant role in the political affairs of his time.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Charles Colville (1678-1741), a British naval officer who served as Governor of Newfoundland from 1729 to 1737. He played a crucial role in establishing British control over the region and supporting the fishing industry.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Colville surname can be found in the 17th century. Richard Colville (1625-1695) was an English settler who emigrated to Virginia in the 1640s and became a prominent landowner and politician in the colony.

John Colville (1749-1820) was a Scottish-born American soldier and politician who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States House of Representatives.

Throughout its history, the Colville surname has been associated with various places, including Colville in Staffordshire, England, and Colville in Washington State, which was named after the British naval officer Andrew Colville.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colville

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

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

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

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