NameCensus.

UK surname

Colins

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Colins surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 108, ranked #29,578, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Whilton and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Maldon and Southwark.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Colins is 378 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 28.5%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

108

2016, ranked #29,578

Peak year

1861

378 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Colins had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 108 in 2016, ranked #29,578.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 378 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Colins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Colins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Colins 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 196 #10,573
1861 historical 378 #6,761
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 210 #14,412
1901 historical 106 #22,076
1911 historical 115 #20,951
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 98 #27,923
1999 modern 85 #29,578
2000 modern 91 #28,952
2001 modern 83 #29,617
2002 modern 86 #29,771
2003 modern 66 #31,879
2004 modern 60 #32,684
2005 modern 59 #33,008
2006 modern 67 #32,532
2007 modern 78 #31,748
2008 modern 73 #32,555
2009 modern 90 #31,094
2010 modern 90 #31,621
2011 modern 84 #32,237
2012 modern 90 #31,790
2013 modern 97 #31,239
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 108 #29,578

Geography

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Where Colins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Whilton, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Lambeth and Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Maldon, Southwark, Neath Port Talbot and Wirral. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Whilton Northamptonshire
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 028 Plymouth
2 Maldon 005 Maldon
3 Southwark 002 Southwark
4 Neath Port Talbot 003 Neath Port Talbot
5 Wirral 040 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Colins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Colins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Colins, 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

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Colins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Colins is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Colins falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Colins is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Colins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Colins 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. Middlesex leads with 28 Colins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.90x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 28 1.90x
Northamptonshire 14 10.11x
Durham 11 2.51x
Kent 9 1.79x
Staffordshire 8 1.61x
Hampshire 7 2.32x
Gloucestershire 6 2.08x
Warwickshire 6 1.62x
Worcestershire 6 3.12x
Ayrshire 5 4.54x
Lancashire 5 0.29x
Renfrewshire 5 4.38x
Lanarkshire 4 0.84x
Surrey 4 0.56x
Yorkshire 4 0.27x
Banffshire 3 9.82x
Cheshire 3 0.92x
Derbyshire 3 1.30x
Lincolnshire 3 1.27x
Somerset 3 1.27x
West Lothian 3 13.53x
Argyllshire 2 4.88x
Bedfordshire 2 2.62x
Berwickshire 1 5.61x
Cumberland 1 0.79x
Essex 1 0.34x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 4.69x
Midlothian 1 0.51x
Northumberland 1 0.46x
Orkney 1 6.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whilton in Northamptonshire leads with 14 Colins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7777.78x.

Place Total Index
Whilton 14 7777.78x
Westoe 9 36.23x
Darlaston 6 87.34x
Islington London 6 4.20x
Plumstead 6 35.82x
St Giles In Fields London 6 82.99x
Birmingham 5 4.04x
Cheltenham 5 22.43x
West Greenock 5 24.40x
Blockley 4 366.97x
Govan 4 3.40x
Ventnor 4 139.37x
Crich 3 198.68x
Keith 3 92.02x
Kilwinning 3 84.27x
Lambeth 3 2.34x
Linthorpe 3 34.44x
Liverpool 3 2.83x
St George Hanover Square 3 11.56x
Stayley 3 80.65x
Bedford St Mary 2 102.04x
Gateshead 2 6.10x
Great Grimsby 2 13.38x
Hampton Wick London 2 185.19x
Kings Norton 2 11.59x
Linlithgow 2 70.42x
St George In East London 2 14.44x
St Pancras London 2 1.69x
Wednesfield 2 27.32x
Aldershot 1 9.89x
Ardchattan Muckairn 1 99.01x
Barrow In Furness 1 4.21x
Brentwood 1 56.50x
Bromley 1 13.05x
Clee With Weelsby 1 19.38x
Cowden 1 303.03x
Edinburgh New North 1 58.14x
Edrom 1 131.58x
Headley 1 121.95x
Hornsey 1 5.37x
Horton In Bradford 1 4.39x
Kensington London 1 1.22x
Kilbirnie 1 37.74x
Margate St John Baptist 1 10.87x
Poplar London 1 3.60x
Portsea 1 1.69x
Preston Quarter 1 28.17x
Queensferry 1 185.19x
Richmond 1 9.94x
Spitalfields London 1 9.03x
St Briavels 1 270.27x
St Luke London 1 4.23x
St Quivox 1 26.81x
Tobermory 1 3333.33x
Troqueer 1 35.71x
Twickenham 1 15.82x
Walcot 1 7.92x
Walton On Hill 1 10.56x
Warwick St Mary 1 31.06x
Westminster St James 1 6.61x
Westray Papa Westray 1 77.52x
Wilton 1 161.29x
Wooler 1 129.87x
Yeovil 1 20.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 11
Charles 7
John 7
Henry 5
James 4
Thomas 3
Edward 2
George 2
Arthur 1
Dennis 1
Fredk. 1
H. 1
Harry 1
Mac 1
Michael 1
Owen 1
Patrick 1
R.E. 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Rowland 1
Thos. 1
Thurston 1
Timothy 1

FAQ

Colins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Colins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Colins surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Colins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 108 in 2016. That gives Colins a modern rank of #29,578.

What does the Colins map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Colins 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.