2000
#52
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 117.83
Common Last name
Collins
An English and Irish surname referring to the descendant of someone named Colin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 363,940 Americans carry the last name Collins. That puts it at #60 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 106.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 942 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collins 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 Collins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
364K
1 in 942
Census rank
#60
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
106.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
317K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 317,373 bearers of the surname Collins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 106.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collins, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collins
The surname Collins originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Ireland, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "colin," which means "young man" or "young victor." This name was likely given as a nickname to a young or small person or perhaps someone who had a youthful appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Collins surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Colinus," which was a Norman French variant of the name.
In Ireland, the name Collins is an anglicized version of the Irish surnames Ó Coileáin or Ó Lochlainn, which mean "descendant of Coileán" or "descendant of Lochlainn," respectively. These names were prominent in counties such as Cork, Limerick, and Clare.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Collins name was William Collins, an English poet and writer who lived from 1721 to 1759. He is best known for his odes, which were widely admired during his lifetime.
Another notable figure with the Collins surname was Samuel Collins, an English physician and writer who lived from 1619 to 1670. He published several works on anatomy and medicine, including "A Systeme of Anatomy" in 1685.
In the United States, one of the most famous individuals with the Collins surname was Michael Collins, an Irish revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in the Irish War of Independence. He was born in 1890 and assassinated in 1922 during the Irish Civil War.
Another prominent Collins was Wilkie Collins, an English novelist and playwright who lived from 1824 to 1889. He is best known for his novels "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone," which are considered classics of Victorian literature.
Lastly, William Wilkie Collins, a Scottish painter and author, lived from 1788 to 1847. He is remembered for his novels and travel writings, as well as his famous work "Memoirs of a Picture," which documented the creation of one of his paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collins
Among Census respondents with the surname Collins, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Collins 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 Collins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 218,214
- Black or African American22.0% · 69,972
- Two or more races4.4% · 14,037
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 10,896
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,196
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,058
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collins
Collins 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
#59
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329,770
+11,922 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 111.79
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#60
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317,373
-12,397 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 106.18
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #52 | 317,848 | 117.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59 | 329,770 | 111.79 | +11,922 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #60 | 317,373 | 106.18 | -12,397 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1 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 Collins 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 | #59 | #60 | -1.7% |
| Count | 329,770 | 317,373 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 111.79 | 106.18 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collins bearers went from 329,770 to 317,373 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #59 to #60.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Collins
FAQ
Collins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collins?
Name Census estimates that about 363,940 living Americans carry the surname Collins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 942 residents.
How common is Collins?
Collins ranks #60 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 106.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 106 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 317,373 people with the surname Collins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (363,940), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 106.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 106.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 106 of them to have the surname Collins.
Has Collins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collins went from 329,770 recorded bearers to 317,373. That is a decrease of 12,397 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #59 to #60.
What does the Census say about the background of Collins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collins, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Collins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (218,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Black (22.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Collins (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 Collins mean?
An English and Irish surname referring to the descendant of someone named Colin. 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 Collins (106.18 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 share the surname Collins?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.