2000
#3,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Rare Last name
Colley
Derived from a place name meaning "dark wood" or from the Old English word for "coal-black," referring to dark features.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,623 Americans carry the last name Colley. That puts it at #4,106 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colley 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 Colley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,618
Census rank
#4,106
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,392 bearers of the surname Colley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4106th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colley
The surname Colley originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a medieval nickname referring to someone with a coal-black complexion or dark features, stemming from the Old English word "col," meaning coal or charcoal.
Early records of the name can be found in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a John Colley. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also lists a William Colley.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Henry Colley, a prominent English knight who lived in the 14th century. He served under King Edward III and participated in the Hundred Years' War against France.
The Colley surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Colley Gate in Yorkshire and Colley Hill in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Colley surname was Sir John Colley (c. 1509-1572), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Henry Colley (1742-1836), an Irish-born British general who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became the Governor of Guernsey.
During the 18th century, the Colley family had a strong presence in County Lincolnshire, England, with several members holding influential positions in the local community.
One of the most famous bearers of the Colley surname was Bâb Eddin Ismail ibn Ibrahim, also known as Nureddin Colley (1475-1567), a renowned Turkish historian and philosopher who authored several influential works on Islamic theology and jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, Lady Constance Colley (1839-1923) was a notable British author and philanthropist who worked to improve education and living conditions for women and children in London's East End.
Overall, the surname Colley has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including knights, politicians, military officers, scholars, and authors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colley
Among Census respondents with the surname Colley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Colley 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 Colley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 6,555
- Black or African American12.6% · 1,056
- Two or more races4.8% · 400
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 287
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colley
Colley 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
#3,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,887
+180 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#4,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,392
-495 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,742 | 8,707 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,996 | 8,887 | 3.01 | +180 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #4,106 | 8,392 | 2.81 | -495 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 110 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 Colley 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 | #3,996 | #4,106 | -2.8% |
| Count | 8,887 | 8,392 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.01 | 2.81 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colley bearers went from 8,887 to 8,392 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,996 to #4,106.
FAQ
Colley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colley?
Name Census estimates that about 9,623 living Americans carry the surname Colley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,618 residents.
How common is Colley?
Colley ranks #4,106 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,392 people with the surname Colley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,623), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Colley.
Has Colley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colley went from 8,887 recorded bearers to 8,392. That is a decrease of 495 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,996 to #4,106.
What does the Census say about the background of Colley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colley, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Colley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (6,555 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Colley (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 Colley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dark wood" or from the Old English word for "coal-black," referring to dark features. 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 Colley (2.81 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 Colley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.