Colby
Colby was the 615th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 455 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 99th with 3,859 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 158 places. More babies were named Colby in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Koli's farm, or charcoal farm (English place name) · Old Norse, English
Say it KOHL-bee /ˈkoʊlbi/
- Rank in 2025
- #615 boys, up 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 455boys
- Girls and boys
- 11% girls, 89% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20013,859 babies
- Total since 1880
- 58,155babies recorded
What does the name Colby mean?
Colby is an English place name and surname of Norse origin. Wiktionary explains it as either the Old Norse personal name Koli or kol, charcoal, plus býr, a farm or settlement, so "Koli's farm" or "charcoal farm." There are villages called Colby in Cumbria, Norfolk and the Isle of Man. In the US colby is also the name of a mild cheese, as Wiktionary notes. As a first name it has been used since the 1880s.
kol (Old Norse, “charcoal”)býr (Old Norse, “farm, settlement”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary gives two options for the first element (personal name or 'charcoal').
Related names: Colbie, Coleby, Kolby.
See also: Scandinavian names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Colby' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Colby popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,828 | #615 | 60 | 455 |
| 2020 | #3,407 | #618 | 45 | 439 |
| 2010 | #2,702 | #280 | 66 | 1,207 |
| 2000 | #1,262 | #234 | 155 | 1,465 |
| 1990 | #1,266 | #245 | 129 | 1,129 |
| 1980 | #2,880 | #532 | 31 | 262 |
| 1970 | #3,327 | #696 | 19 | 142 |
| 1960 | — | #1,408 | — | 32 |
| 1950 | #4,390 | #2,041 | 7 | 14 |
| 1940 | — | #3,193 | — | 6 |
| 1930 | — | #3,070 | — | 8 |
| 1920 | — | #2,357 | — | 13 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Colby, counting every spelling?
Colby is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #484 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #615 for Colby on its own. Together these spellings went to 626 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colby | 455 | #615 | 2,301 |
| Kolby | 165 | #1,225 | 798 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Colby?
455 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Colby (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Colby born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Colby.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Colby?
About 52,000 people born in the US named Colby are alive today, with a median age of 25; half are between 19 and 34. That makes Colby mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Colby by state
How common Colby was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (8.3×), Maine (5.4×), Massachusetts (2.5×), Connecticut (2.4×), West Virginia (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Nevada, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Colby: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Colby, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Colby · Sibling names for Colby
Questions about the name Colby
What does Colby mean?
Colby means “Koli's farm, or charcoal farm (English place name)” (Old Norse, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Colby?
Colby was the 615th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 455 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 99th with 3,859 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 158 places. More babies were named Colby in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Colby a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 11% girls, 89% boys given the name Colby in the US.
Where is Colby most popular?
In 2021–2025, Colby was most common in New Hampshire (2.21 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and Massachusetts.