2000
#9,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Colyer
An occupational surname for one who makes or sells charcoal, derived from the Old English "col" meaning "coal."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,314 Americans carry the last name Colyer. That puts it at #10,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colyer 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 Colyer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 103,426
Census rank
#10,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,890 bearers of the surname Colyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Colyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Colyer 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 Colyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 2,499
- Black or African American6.4% · 185
- Two or more races3.6% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colyer
Colyer 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
#10,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
+114 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 421 places
2020
#10,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,890
-236 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,885 | 3,012 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,306 | 3,126 | 1.06 | +114 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 421 places |
| 2020 | #10,583 | 2,890 | 0.97 | -236 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 277 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 Colyer 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 | #10,306 | #10,583 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,126 | 2,890 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.97 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colyer bearers went from 3,126 to 2,890 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 277 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,306 to #10,583.
FAQ
Colyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colyer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,314 living Americans carry the surname Colyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,426 residents.
How common is Colyer?
Colyer ranks #10,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,890 people with the surname Colyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Colyer.
Has Colyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colyer went from 3,126 recorded bearers to 2,890. That is a decrease of 236 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,306 to #10,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Colyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Colyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (2,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (6.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Colyer (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 Colyer mean?
An occupational surname for one who makes or sells charcoal, derived from the Old English "col" meaning "coal." 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 Colyer (0.97 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 Colyer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.