The Colvin surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 22,499 people carried this name — #1,592 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 13,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 21,908 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Colvin surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Colvin’.

His entry covers Colvin and Colven.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 197 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Colvin name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. 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.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 4
Leinster 1
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Colvin was recorded 14 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1484th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 29. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

77 families named Colvin, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 462 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 4 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Rhode Island 25
Vermont 14
Pennsylvania 14
South Carolina 8
New York 5
Virginia 4
North Carolina 3
Connecticut 2
Massachusetts 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 234 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Colvin in American newspapers,
1860–1905.

Newspaper page from New Hampshire Statesman carrying the name Colvin
New Hampshire Statesman 1860-08-18
Newspaper page from The People carrying the name Colvin
The People 1873-10-09
Newspaper page from The Starkville News carrying the name Colvin
The Starkville News 1905-08-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 74,380 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Colvin in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

20,142 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Colvin. The most, 3,495, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,586
Victoria 5,769
Tasmania 3,733
Queensland 1,839
Western Australia 1,454
South Australia 610
ACT (Canberra) 79
Northern Territory 24

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Colvin.

Who carried it

People named Colvin,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lady Gwendoline Rous d. 1952 · aristocrat
  • Elizabeth Ann Marshall d. 2005
  • James Edward Colvin d. 1814
  • Jacob Colvin 1762–1853 · writer
  • Alexander Colvin 1787–1864
  • Thomas Colvin 1799–1835

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Colvin,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,640 records

1,640 records of the Colvin name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 780
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 347
  • Other U.S. records 513
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Clyde R. Colvin

    Born 1929; from Ward County, North Dakota. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Homer O. Colvin

    Born 1913 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Thomas Newport; metal worker from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Highview Cemetery, Chaplin, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Colvin

    Arrived at Boston in 1885 aboard the Cephalonia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 23; servant. From Ireland; bound for Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,640 records for Colvin in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia460 records

460 records of the Colvin name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 204
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 130
  • Other Australian records 126
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margery Colvin

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove, sailing from London in 1841. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842. Married 1842 in Oatlands, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles Colvin

    Died 1878 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 59. Will registered in Tasmania in 1878.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Mezger Colvin

    Born 1862 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1885 in Richmond, Tasmania, aged 23. Died 1919 in Tasmania, aged 57.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 460 records for Colvin in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada43 records

43 records of the Colvin name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 11
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 22
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frederick Colvin

    Buried in 1981 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 81.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Andrew Colvin

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marion V. Colvin

    Married 1913 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 43 records for Colvin in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Colvin name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 3
  • Stirling Council burial records 3
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Macdonald Colvin

    Born 1887 at U.f.c. Manse; architect. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Nichola & Michael Colvin

    Died 2000, aged 62; buried at Gartmore Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Colvin

    Ng's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Colvin in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Colvin name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Beatrix Colvin

    Married in 1645 in Nijmegen.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Franciscus Colvin

    Married in 1794 in Middelburg.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Colvin

    Buried in 1670 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Colvin in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Colvin name in New Zealand Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Wallero Colvin

    Died 2001, aged 86; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Louisa Harriette Colvin

    Died 1997, aged 77; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Colvin name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elise Rosalie Colvin

    Born 1902 in Wallers; died 1974 in Wallers (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Marie Colvin

    Born 1891 in La Harmoye; died 1983 in Quintin (Côtes-d'Armor).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Colvin.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Colvin 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.

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