NameCensus.

UK surname

Colgate

An English surname derived from a place name, referring to someone from Colgate in Norfolk.

In the 1881 census there were 207 people recorded with the Colgate surname, ranking it #12,555 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 299, ranked #14,770, down from #12,555 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bletchingley, London parishes and Tunbridge, Bidborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Epping Forest, Broxbourne and Thurrock.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Colgate is 339 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.4%.

1881 census count

207

Ranked #12,555

Modern count

299

2016, ranked #14,770

Peak year

1999

339 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Colgate had 207 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,555 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016, ranked #14,770.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 305 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Colgate surname distribution map

The map shows where the Colgate surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Colgate surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Colgate over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 189 #10,896
1861 historical 220 #11,076
1881 historical 207 #12,555
1891 historical 252 #12,685
1901 historical 282 #12,145
1911 historical 305 #11,307
1997 modern 323 #12,888
1998 modern 334 #12,940
1999 modern 339 #12,892
2000 modern 322 #13,307
2001 modern 311 #13,423
2002 modern 308 #13,763
2003 modern 297 #13,917
2004 modern 292 #14,109
2005 modern 305 #13,689
2006 modern 316 #13,402
2007 modern 324 #13,322
2008 modern 322 #13,487
2009 modern 329 #13,548
2010 modern 336 #13,613
2011 modern 323 #13,868
2012 modern 308 #14,259
2013 modern 321 #14,073
2014 modern 312 #14,430
2015 modern 306 #14,536
2016 modern 299 #14,770

Geography

Back to top

Where Colgates are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bletchingley, London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough and Dartford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Epping Forest, Broxbourne, Thurrock and Dacorum. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bletchingley Surrey
2 London parishes London 1
3 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
4 London parishes London 3
5 Dartford Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Epping Forest 007 Epping Forest
2 Broxbourne 001 Broxbourne
3 Thurrock 018 Thurrock
4 Epping Forest 009 Epping Forest
5 Dacorum 020 Dacorum

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Colgate

These lists show first names that appear often with the Colgate surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Colgate

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Colgate, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Colgate surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Colgate household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Colgate is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Colgate is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Colgate falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Colgate is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Colgate, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Colgate

The surname Colgate is of English origin, with the earliest known instances of the name dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "col" meaning charcoal and "gata" meaning road or path, likely referring to a location near a charcoal burner's path or road.

Records from the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, do not mention the name Colgate directly. However, they do reference several place names containing similar elements, such as "Colewood" and "Coleworth," suggesting the existence of charcoal-burning activities in those areas.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Colgate was Robert de Colgat, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also record a John Colgate in the county of Wiltshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears in various parish records and historical documents. For example, the baptism of Thomas Colgate was recorded in Lambourne, Essex, in 1593. Another notable figure was Robert Colgate, born in 1585 in Horsham, Sussex, who later emigrated to the American colonies in 1635.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Colgate was William Colgate, born in 1783 in Hollingbourne, Kent. He founded the Colgate soap and manufacturing company, which later became the global brand known as Colgate-Palmolive. His entrepreneurial success played a significant role in establishing the Colgate name in the business world.

Other historical figures bearing the surname Colgate include Robert Colgate, a British inventor born in 1779, who patented several devices related to the manufacturing of soap and candles. Additionally, Samuel Colgate, born in 1822 in New York, was a prominent philanthropist and businessman who contributed to the establishment of educational institutions and charitable organizations.

Another notable Colgate was Eliza Colgate Bowler, born in 1836 in New York. She was a prominent advocate for women's rights and served as the president of the American Woman Suffrage Association.

While the surname Colgate has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries, thanks to migration and the global reach of the Colgate-Palmolive company.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Colgate families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Colgate surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 89 Colgates recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.86x.

County Total Index
Kent 89 12.86x
Middlesex 35 1.73x
Surrey 34 3.44x
Sussex 27 7.89x
Essex 13 3.25x
Hampshire 4 0.96x
Carmarthenshire 3 3.51x
Durham 1 0.17x
Royal Navy 1 4.14x
Yorkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bletchingley in Surrey leads with 20 Colgates recorded in 1881 and an index of 1550.39x.

Place Total Index
Bletchingley 20 1550.39x
Bearsted 10 2380.95x
Shoreditch London 10 11.37x
Camberwell 8 6.17x
Chatham 8 42.02x
Chiswick 8 72.14x
Ramsgate 8 70.80x
Dagenham 7 294.12x
Dartford 7 98.87x
Erith 7 102.64x
Guestling 7 1250.00x
Withyam 7 479.45x
Barking 6 51.19x
Eastbourne 6 38.12x
Kensington London 6 5.32x
Sutton At Hone 6 416.67x
Glynde 5 2500.00x
Milton In Milton 5 170.07x
St George Hanover Square 5 13.99x
Plumstead 4 17.34x
Sevenoaks 4 71.30x
Chevening 3 400.00x
Cowden 3 666.67x
Islington London 3 1.53x
Leigh 3 333.33x
Llansawel 3 454.55x
Portsea 3 3.68x
Chislehurst 2 53.91x
Crayford 2 66.23x
Fletching 2 130.72x
Gillingham 2 14.02x
Greenwich 2 6.19x
Lambeth 2 1.13x
Lewisham 2 5.42x
Orpington 2 94.34x
Paddington London 2 2.68x
Staplehurst 2 175.44x
Woolwich 2 7.82x
Buriton 1 125.00x
Crossgate 1 37.88x
Egham 1 16.47x
Foots Cray 1 75.19x
Maidstone 1 4.85x
New Romney 1 140.85x
North Cave Drewton 1 126.58x
Nutfield 1 133.33x
Reigate Foreign 1 9.35x
Royal Navy 1 4.84x
Shipbourne 1 285.71x
Speldhurst 1 28.41x
Teddington London 1 21.74x
Wandsworth 1 5.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Colgate surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Colgate surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 16
Henry 11
Thomas 10
George 9
William 8
Edward 5
Geo. 5
Arthur 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Alfred 3
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Martin 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Burt 1
Chas. 1
Chas.Robert 1
Ed.H. 1
Ed.T. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Geo.H. 1
Henery 1
Hugh 1
Hy. 1
James 1
Roger 1
Sidney 1
Sydney 1
Thos.J. 1
Traytor 1
Victor 1
W.R. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Colgate surname: questions and answers

How common was the Colgate surname in 1881?

In 1881, 207 people were recorded with the Colgate surname. That placed it at #12,555 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Colgate surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016. That gives Colgate a modern rank of #14,770.

What does the Colgate surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name, referring to someone from Colgate in Norfolk.

What does the Colgate map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Colgate bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.