Collier surname meaning

Collier is chiefly an English occupational surname. In much of England a Middle English colier was a maker or seller of charcoal; in coal-producing districts it could mean a miner or seller of coal. Separate French routes include a maker of collars and, historically, a tax collector. Collier, Colyer, Collyer, and Colliar show ordinary spelling variation and regional development. The catalog uses occupation for the strongest English explanation, with high confidence in the occupational sense while acknowledging that French Collier families may have a different origin. A modern bearer need not have any connection with mining or charcoal.