2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kollander
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Koll" meaning stud or peg maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Kollander. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kollander 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Kollander in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollander, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kollander
The surname Kollander has its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, with earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German words "koler" meaning charcoal burner or "kol" meaning coal, and "ander" referring to a specific location or region.
One of the earliest references to the name Kollander can be found in a land registry document from the town of Bamberg, in present-day Germany, dated 1187. This document mentions a certain "Konrad Kollander" as a landowner in the region. It is likely that the surname was initially used to identify the individual's occupation or place of origin.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name began to appear in various records across the German principalities, suggesting that individuals with the surname had migrated to different areas. In 1324, a merchant named Hans Kollander is documented in the city of Nuremberg's trade guild records.
By the 16th century, the Kollander surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In 1548, a Swiss theologian and reformer named Theodor Kollander was born in Zurich. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and wrote several influential works on theology.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company, with a sailor named Jan Kollander listed as part of a ship's crew that sailed to the East Indies in 1628. This suggests that individuals with the surname had begun to venture beyond the borders of central Europe.
One notable figure in the 18th century was Johann Kollander, a German philosopher and mathematician born in 1713 in Nuremberg. He made significant contributions to the fields of logic and metaphysics, and his works were widely studied throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Kollander can be found in various genealogical records and census data across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, indicating its continued presence in the region. A prominent figure during this time was the German artist and painter Wilhelm Kollander, born in 1821 in Munich, who was renowned for his landscape and genre paintings.
Throughout its history, the surname Kollander has been associated with various occupations, including charcoal burners, merchants, sailors, theologians, philosophers, and artists. While the origins of the name can be traced back to central Europe, individuals bearing this surname have left their mark on different parts of the world through their contributions and endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kollander
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollander, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Kollander 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 Kollander surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kollander
Kollander appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+13 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,774 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 11,774 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 Kollander 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 | #156,044 | #144,270 | 7.5% |
| Count | 104 | 117 | 12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kollander bearers went from 104 to 117 (+12.5% change). The surname moved up 11,774 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #144,270.
FAQ
Kollander surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kollander?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Kollander. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Kollander?
Kollander ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Kollander. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kollander.
Has Kollander become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kollander went from 104 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 13 (+12.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kollander?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kollander, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Kollander in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kollander appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Kollander (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 Kollander mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Koll" meaning stud or peg maker. 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 Kollander (0.04 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 surname Kollander?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.