NameCensus.

UK surname

Coll

A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "coll," meaning a rounded hill or peak.

In the 1881 census there were 230 people recorded with the Coll surname, ranking it #11,748 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,252, ranked #4,777, up from #11,748 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Cardross. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Toryglen and Oatlands, Gorbals and Hutchesontown and Rothesay Town.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Coll is 1,252 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 444.3%.

1881 census count

230

Ranked #11,748

Modern count

1,252

2016, ranked #4,777

Peak year

2016

1,252 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Coll had 230 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,748 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,252 in 2016, ranked #4,777.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 489 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Coll surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Coll surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Coll 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 200 #10,403
1861 historical 486 #5,372
1881 historical 230 #11,748
1891 historical 489 #7,570
1901 historical 314 #11,285
1911 historical 160 #17,151
1997 modern 1,037 #5,329
1998 modern 1,060 #5,406
1999 modern 1,058 #5,452
2000 modern 1,061 #5,424
2001 modern 1,041 #5,405
2002 modern 1,094 #5,296
2003 modern 1,074 #5,281
2004 modern 1,090 #5,225
2005 modern 1,086 #5,177
2006 modern 1,103 #5,132
2007 modern 1,112 #5,141
2008 modern 1,143 #5,047
2009 modern 1,197 #4,949
2010 modern 1,226 #4,952
2011 modern 1,202 #4,969
2012 modern 1,173 #5,002
2013 modern 1,195 #4,999
2014 modern 1,226 #4,928
2015 modern 1,239 #4,839
2016 modern 1,252 #4,777

Geography

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Where Colls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Cardross, Batley and Greenock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Toryglen and Oatlands, Gorbals and Hutchesontown, Rothesay Town, Penilee and Govanhill East and Aikenhead. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Cardross Dunbarton
4 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Greenock Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City
2 Gorbals and Hutchesontown Glasgow City
3 Rothesay Town Argyll and Bute
4 Penilee Glasgow City
5 Govanhill East and Aikenhead Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Coll

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Coll

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Coll surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Coll household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Coll 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.

Read profile summary

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

Coll is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Coll falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Coll

The surname COLL is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "col," meaning "charcoal" or "coal." It likely originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with charcoal or coal.

The name COLL was prominent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It has been recorded with various spellings, such as Cole, Coale, and Coles, throughout history.

One of the earliest references to the name COLL can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and tenants in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Cole" in several entries.

Notable individuals with the surname COLL include:

1. John Coll (c. 1330-1404), an English MP for Derbyshire in the Parliament of 1397.

2. Thomas Coll (c. 1480-1542), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes from 1519 until his death.

3. William Coll (1608-1681), an English Puritan minister and author of several religious works.

4. John Coll (1737-1807), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became Governor of Guernsey.

5. John Coll (1808-1879), a Scottish architect and civil engineer known for his work on railway bridges and viaducts.

The name COLL has also been associated with various place names, such as Colley in Wiltshire and Collingham in Nottinghamshire, which may have influenced the development of the surname in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Coll families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Coll 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. Renfrewshire leads with 37 Colls recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.75x.

County Total Index
Renfrewshire 37 21.75x
Lanarkshire 33 4.65x
Lancashire 33 1.27x
Dunbartonshire 20 33.91x
Stirlingshire 15 18.53x
Durham 10 1.53x
Surrey 10 0.94x
Yorkshire 9 0.41x
Worcestershire 8 2.79x
Buteshire 6 45.11x
Gloucestershire 6 1.39x
Cheshire 4 0.83x
Midlothian 4 1.36x
Norfolk 4 1.19x
Argyllshire 3 4.91x
Devon 3 0.66x
Middlesex 3 0.14x
Ayrshire 2 1.22x
Derbyshire 2 0.58x
Kent 2 0.27x
Perthshire 2 2.03x
Angus 1 0.49x
Essex 1 0.23x
Hertfordshire 1 0.66x
Inverness-shire 1 1.53x
Leicestershire 1 0.41x
Somerset 1 0.28x
Sussex 1 0.27x
Warwickshire 1 0.18x
West Lothian 1 3.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Much Woolton in Lancashire leads with 21 Colls recorded in 1881 and an index of 594.90x.

Place Total Index
Much Woolton 21 594.90x
Paisley High Church 12 88.63x
Barony 9 5.01x
Campsie 9 202.70x
Cardross 9 127.12x
Dumbarton 9 109.62x
Glasgow 8 6.35x
Liverpool 8 5.06x
Abbey 7 26.98x
Eastwood 7 66.79x
Port Glasgow 7 85.16x
Alva 6 155.44x
Bermondsey 6 9.18x
Crook Billy Row 6 71.77x
Kilmory 6 309.28x
Kings Norton 6 23.35x
Menston 6 1200.00x
New Monkland 6 28.60x
Westbury On Trym 6 41.15x
Govan 5 2.85x
West Greenock 4 13.10x
Battersea 3 3.71x
Trowse Cum Newton 3 361.45x
Westoe 3 8.10x
Ardnamurchan 2 64.52x
Dalry 2 25.87x
Kirkdale 2 4.57x
Kirknewton 2 235.29x
Lymm 2 56.82x
Old Kilpatrick 2 28.69x
Shettleston 2 31.45x
St George Martyr London 2 44.94x
Aston 1 0.66x
Aylesford 1 48.08x
Bathgate 1 13.93x
Bathwick 1 25.58x
Bishop Auckland 1 11.42x
Blackburn 1 1.44x
Blairgowrie 1 25.64x
Blantyre 1 13.53x
Brighton 1 1.34x
Chelford 1 416.67x
Chesterfield 1 7.76x
Claines 1 12.71x
Dartmouth St Petrox 1 151.52x
Dewsbury 1 4.48x
Dundee 1 1.32x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.85x
Fairfield 1 43.48x
Garboldisham 1 208.33x
Hamilton 1 5.05x
Knapdale North 1 142.86x
Liberton 1 22.03x
Lidford 1 48.78x
Maldon St Peter 1 45.25x
Marple 1 30.03x
Maryhill 1 7.19x
Norton By Kempsey 1 158.73x
Perth East Church 1 10.76x
Ripon 1 19.80x
Rochester St Margaret 1 12.66x
Sheepshed 1 29.94x
South Uist 1 21.88x
Southcoates 1 8.29x
St Pancras London 1 0.57x
Stokenham 1 77.52x
Watford 1 8.53x
Whiston 1 49.26x
Wimbledon 1 8.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Catherine 4
Elizabeth 4
Emma 4
Bridget 3
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Ellen 2
Jane 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Elben 1
Esther 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Rachel 1
Rosanna 1
Usler 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
James 5
Edward 3
George 3
Martin 3
Patrick 3
Charles 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Joseph 2
Alfred 1
Anthony 1
Ed.W.B. 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Louis 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Thomas 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
William 1

FAQ

Coll surname: questions and answers

How common was the Coll surname in 1881?

In 1881, 230 people were recorded with the Coll surname. That placed it at #11,748 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Coll surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,252 in 2016. That gives Coll a modern rank of #4,777.

What does the Coll surname mean?

A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "coll," meaning a rounded hill or peak.

What does the Coll map show?

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