The Collier surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 56,380 people carried this name — #599 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,230 people counted. That is up 4% from 54,414 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Collier surname
Derived from the name of occupation - collier (“charcoal burner”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Collier» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 1,298 people named Collier.
22 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 58 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 400 people named Collier live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 7 births for the Collier name in 1890.
Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Wexford.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
33 people named Collier live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 30 people named Collier live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Santa Cruz.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
28 people named Collier is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Collier in American newspapers,
1877–1939.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 496,477 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Collier,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Evert Collier 1642–1708 · painter -
Jeremy Collier 1650–1726 · bishop -
John Collier 1708–1786 · writer -
George Collier 1738–1795 · politician -
Sir George Collier, 1st Baronet 1774–1824 · military personnel
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 204 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Collier.
- Colletta 613 · U.S. census
- Collette 4,927 · U.S. census
- Colletti 2,710 · U.S. census
- Colley 8,887 · U.S. census
- Colli 552 · U.S. census
- Collias 196 · U.S. census
- Collignon 493 · U.S. census
- Collin 2,959 · U.S. census
- Colling 1,042 · U.S. census
- Collins 329,770 · U.S. census
- Collon 167 · U.S. census
- Collura 1,557 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Collier is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.