Colt
Colt was the 285th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,188 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 210th with 1,833 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 53 places. More babies were named Colt in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning colt (young horse); or short for Colton · English
Say it KOHLT /koʊlt/
- Rank in 2025
- #285 boys, down 64 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,188boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20191,833 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,880babies recorded
What does the name Colt mean?
Colt is an English surname from colt, a young male horse, originally a nickname or job name for someone who looked after horses, as Wiktionary explains. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both note that the given name may also be short for Colton. The Colt revolver was named after its inventor, Samuel Colt, which gives the name a Western association in the US.
colt (Old English, “young horse, ass”)
How sure is this? Probable. Either the horse word (via the surname) or a short form of Colton.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Colt', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Colt (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Colt popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 11 since 1983.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #285 | 1,188 |
| 2020 | #221 | 1,686 |
| 2010 | #331 | 945 |
| 2000 | #816 | 197 |
| 1990 | #768 | 174 |
| 1980 | #5,031 | 7 |
| 1970 | #3,573 | 8 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Colt, counting every spelling?
Colt is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #277 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #285 for Colt on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,317 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colt | 1,188 | #285 | 6,917 |
| Kolt | 129 | #1,414 | 819 |
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 Colt?
1,188 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Colt (0.33 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Colt 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Colt.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Colt?
About 27,400 people born in the US named Colt are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 17. That makes Colt a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Colt by state
How common Colt was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (5.0×), Montana (4.3×), South Dakota (3.7×), Iowa (3.1×), Oklahoma (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Colt: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Colt, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Colt · Sibling names for Colt
Colt is also a nickname for Colton and Colter.
Questions about the name Colt
What does Colt mean?
Colt means “colt (young horse); or short for Colton” (English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Colt?
Colt was the 285th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,188 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 210th with 1,833 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 53 places. More babies were named Colt in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Colt a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Colt in the US.
Where is Colt most popular?
In 2021–2025, Colt was most common in West Virginia (4.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Montana and Wyoming.