2000
#23,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.37
Rare Last name
Collinson
A locational surname referring to a person from one of many places with the name Collinson.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,115 Americans carry the last name Collinson. That puts it at #26,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 307,403 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Collinson 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 Collinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 307,403
Census rank
#26,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
972
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 972 bearers of the surname Collinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Collinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Collinson
The surname Collinson is an English patronymic name derived from the personal name Colin, itself a medieval diminutive form of the name Nicholas. The name is believed to have originated in Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England during the late 12th century.
One of the earliest known records of the Collinson surname dates back to the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379, where a William Colynson is listed as residing in the village of Arkengarthdale. The Collinson name also appears in various medieval records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls and the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The Collinson surname is thought to have evolved from various spellings over time, including Colinson, Colynson, Colineson, and Collingson, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of the time. In some instances, the name may have been influenced by or derived from local place names, such as Collinghall in Yorkshire or Collingbourne in Wiltshire.
One notable bearer of the Collinson surname was Peter Collinson (1694-1768), a renowned botanist and naturalist from Huguenot descent, who played a significant role in introducing various plant species from North America to Europe. Another individual of note was James Collinson (1825-1881), a British engineer and inventor responsible for the development of the hot blast process in iron smelting.
Other historical figures bearing the Collinson surname include John Collinson (1757-1849), an English clergyman and naturalist who authored several works on the flora and fauna of Somerset; and Mary Collinson (1716-1766), an accomplished artist and naturalist renowned for her intricate botanical illustrations.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, records show the Collinson name was present in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and Middlesex, indicating the surname's widespread distribution across the country. While the name may have originated in northern England, it eventually spread to other regions through migration and family dispersal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Collinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Collinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Collinson 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 Collinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 899
- Two or more races3.0% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Collinson
Collinson 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
#22,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,172
+171 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 1,522 places
2020
#26,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 972
-200 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 4,345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,617 | 1,001 | 0.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,095 | 1,172 | 0.40 | +171 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 1,522 places |
| 2020 | #26,440 | 972 | 0.33 | -200 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 4,345 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 Collinson 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 | #22,095 | #26,440 | -19.7% |
| Count | 1,172 | 972 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.33 | -18.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Collinson bearers went from 1,172 to 972 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 4,345 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,095 to #26,440.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Collinson
FAQ
Collinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Collinson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,115 living Americans carry the surname Collinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 307,403 residents.
How common is Collinson?
Collinson ranks #26,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 972 people with the surname Collinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Collinson.
Has Collinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Collinson went from 1,172 recorded bearers to 972. That is a decrease of 200 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,095 to #26,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Collinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Collinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Collinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (899 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Collinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Collinson (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 Collinson mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from one of many places with the name Collinson. 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 Collinson (0.33 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 last name Collinson?
Find out how many people have the surname Collinson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.