2000
#556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,414
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.17
Uncommon Last name
Collier
An occupational surname referring to someone who mined, sold, or transported coal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 62,247 Americans carry the last name Collier. That puts it at #604 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,506 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collier 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 Collier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
62K
1 in 5,506
Census rank
#604
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
54K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 54,282 bearers of the surname Collier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 604th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collier
The surname Collier originated in medieval England, derived from the Old French word "collier," meaning a coal miner or seller of coal. The name first appeared in records in the 12th century, reflecting the growing importance of the coal industry during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Collier surname was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where a Robert le Collier was mentioned. The name also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record that listed landowners in various counties across England.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Colliers were most prominent in the coal-mining regions of Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire. The name was often associated with specific locations, such as Collier's Wood in Nottinghamshire and Collier Street in Kent.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain the Collier surname directly. However, it does mention several places with names related to coal mining, such as Colne in Lancashire and Coaley in Gloucestershire, which may have been the origins of some Collier families.
One of the earliest known Colliers of note was Sir Robert Collier (c. 1305-1368), a member of the English Parliament and a landowner in Nottinghamshire. Another prominent Collier was John Collier (c. 1492-1537), a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the reign of King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the Collier surname spread across England, with families establishing themselves in various regions, including London, where a John Collier (c. 1550-1622) became a successful merchant and alderman.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Colliers made significant contributions to various fields. These included Giles Collier (1622-1668), a renowned theological writer, and Arthur Collier (1680-1732), a philosopher and metaphysician.
In the 19th century, notable Colliers included John Collier (1789-1879), a British writer and critic, and John Payne Collier (1789-1883), a Shakespeare scholar and literary forger whose controversial work sparked debates about literary authenticity.
Throughout its history, the Collier surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, writers, politicians, and academics, reflecting the diverse occupations and roles of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collier
Among Census respondents with the surname Collier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Collier 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 Collier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 34,859
- Black or African American26.8% · 14,553
- Two or more races4.8% · 2,603
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,690
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 334
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 243
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collier
Collier 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
#599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,380
+1,966 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 19.11
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,282
-2,098 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 18.16
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #556 | 54,414 | 20.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #599 | 56,380 | 19.11 | +1,966 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #604 | 54,282 | 18.16 | -2,098 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 5 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 Collier 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 | #599 | #604 | -0.8% |
| Count | 56,380 | 54,282 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 19.11 | 18.16 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collier bearers went from 56,380 to 54,282 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #599 to #604.
FAQ
Collier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collier?
Name Census estimates that about 62,247 living Americans carry the surname Collier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,506 residents.
How common is Collier?
Collier ranks #604 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 54,282 people with the surname Collier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (62,247), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Collier.
Has Collier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collier went from 56,380 recorded bearers to 54,282. That is a decrease of 2,098 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #599 to #604.
What does the Census say about the background of Collier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collier, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) 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 Collier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (34,859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Black (26.8%), 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 Collier (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 Collier mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who mined, sold, or transported 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 Collier (18.16 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 Collier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.