2000
#1,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,908
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.12
Uncommon Last name
Colvin
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic byname "Colmán," meaning "little dove" or "dove-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,782 Americans carry the last name Colvin. That puts it at #1,614 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colvin 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 Colvin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,831
Census rank
#1,614
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,611 bearers of the surname Colvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1614th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colvin
The surname Colvin has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Cailean" or "Colman," which means "cub" or "whelp." The name likely originated as a nickname for a strong or brave individual.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Colvin can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobility who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. It appears in the form "Colveyne," suggesting that the spelling has evolved over time.
In the 14th century, the name Colvin appeared in various Scottish charters and documents, such as the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. This indicates that the name was well-established among Scottish families during this period.
The name Colvin has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, including Colville in Aberdeenshire and Colvin in Dumfriesshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of Colvin families in those areas.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Colvin, a 14th-century Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Another prominent Colvin was Sir John Colvin, a 16th-century Scottish Protestant reformer and advocate for education.
During the 17th century, the Colvin surname spread beyond Scotland as Scottish families migrated to other parts of the British Isles and North America. One notable figure from this era was Alexander Colvin, a Scottish-born mathematician and writer who lived from 1596 to 1647.
In the 18th century, several Colvins achieved distinction in various fields. John Colvin (1724-1812) was a British architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in London. Another notable Colvin was Robert Colvin (1742-1838), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who settled in Virginia, USA.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several prominent Colvins, including Sidney Colvin (1845-1927), an English literary critic and author who wrote extensively on the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. Another notable figure was Fitzwilliam Colvin (1818-1893), a British civil servant and administrator in British India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Colvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Colvin 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 Colvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.5% · 15,671
- Black or African American18.1% · 3,910
- Two or more races4.5% · 962
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 802
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colvin
Colvin 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
#1,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,499
+591 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 7.63
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#1,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,611
-888 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.23
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,495 | 21,908 | 8.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,592 | 22,499 | 7.63 | +591 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #1,614 | 21,611 | 7.23 | -888 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 22 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 Colvin 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 | #1,592 | #1,614 | -1.4% |
| Count | 22,499 | 21,611 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 7.63 | 7.23 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colvin bearers went from 22,499 to 21,611 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,592 to #1,614.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Colvin
FAQ
Colvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colvin?
Name Census estimates that about 24,782 living Americans carry the surname Colvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,831 residents.
How common is Colvin?
Colvin ranks #1,614 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,611 people with the surname Colvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Colvin.
Has Colvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colvin went from 22,499 recorded bearers to 21,611. That is a decrease of 888 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,592 to #1,614.
What does the Census say about the background of Colvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Colvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (15,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.5%), Black (18.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Colvin (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 Colvin mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic byname "Colmán," meaning "little dove" or "dove-like." 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 Colvin (7.23 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 are called Colvin?
See how common the surname Colvin is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.