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

Colyer, 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 Colyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colyer in America

Colyer is the 10306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colyer surname appeared 3,126 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 Colyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colyer 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 Colyer

The surname Colyer has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'col', meaning charcoal, and the occupational suffix '-er', indicating someone who was a charcoal burner or seller of charcoal.

This name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Kent and Sussex, where the production of charcoal from the extensive woodlands was an important industry. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Coliere, found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.

Colyer is also thought to have been influenced by the Old French word 'coulier', meaning a strainer or sieve maker. This suggests that some bearers of the name may have been involved in the production or trade of sieves or strainers, which were essential tools in many industries at the time.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Colyer, but it does mention several places with similar names, such as Colridge in Staffordshire and Colne in Essex, which may have given rise to variants of the surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colyer is that of Richard Colyer, who was born in Kent around 1450 and served as a member of the Parliament during the reign of Edward IV.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Colyer, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and played a significant role in the trade and commerce of the city.

In the 17th century, Samuel Colyer (1624-1687) was a respected minister and author who served as the vicar of Leigh in Essex. His works included several religious treatises and sermons.

The name Colyer also has ties to the village of Colyers in Kent, which was once a center for charcoal production and may have been named after those who worked in that industry.

One of the more recent famous individuals with the surname Colyer was Walter Colyer (1897-1964), a British journalist and writer who covered major events such as the Spanish Civil War and World War II for various newspapers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colyer

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!