Colton
Colton was the 103rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,420 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 59th; the most babies were born in 2013 (6,490). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Colton in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning coal town (place name) · Old English
Say it KOHL-tuhn /ˈkoʊltən/
- Rank in 2025
- #103 boys, down 37 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,420boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20136,490 babies
- Total since 1880
- 152,174babies recorded
What does the name Colton mean?
Colton is an English place name found in several counties, which became a surname. Wiktionary derives it from Old English cola, 'coal' (or charcoal), and tun, 'farmstead, settlement'; some Coltons may instead contain an Old English personal name Cola, so the first element is not certain for every place. As a first name Colton is a modern American transfer from the surname, part of the late-20th-century fashion for -ton names.
cola (Old English, “coal, charcoal (or the personal name Cola)”)tūn (Old English, “farmstead, settlement”)
How sure is this? Probable. The -ton element is certain; the first element may be 'coal' or a personal name, depending on the place.
Related names: Colten, Kolton, Colt, Cole.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Colton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry '-ton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Colton (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Colton
The usual nicknames for Colton are Colt. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Colton in the last five years, 36 were named Colt, against 6 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colt · also for Colter | Modern | #285 | 6,917 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Coltons go by each one.
Colton popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 209 since 1988, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #103 | 3,420 |
| 2020 | #66 | 5,025 |
| 2010 | #73 | 5,321 |
| 2000 | #111 | 3,410 |
| 1990 | #139 | 2,235 |
| 1980 | #1,701 | 34 |
| 1970 | #2,135 | 18 |
| 1960 | #3,397 | 7 |
| 1950 | #2,338 | 11 |
| 1940 | #2,923 | 7 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,268 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Colton, counting every spelling?
Colton is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #84 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #103 for Colton on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,377 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colton | 3,420 | #103 | 19,219 |
| Kolton | 489 | #594 | 2,787 |
| Colten | 238 | #966 | 1,277 |
| Kolten | 153 | #1,283 | 793 |
| Coltyn | 28 | #3,862 | 152 |
| Koltyn | 25 | #4,200 | 150 |
| Coltin | 14 | #6,193 | 98 |
| Koltin | 10 | #7,981 | 70 |
| Coltan | — | — | 36 |
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 Colton?
3,420 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Colton (0.95 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Colton 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 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Colton.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Colton?
About 149,400 people born in the US named Colton are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 25. That makes Colton 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.
Colton by state
How common Colton was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (3.5×), West Virginia (3.2×), Maine (3.2×), Vermont (2.9×), Delaware (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Wyoming, California, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Colton: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Colton, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Colton · Sibling names for Colton
Questions about the name Colton
What does Colton mean?
Colton means “coal town (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Colton?
Colton was the 103rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,420 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 59th; the most babies were born in 2013 (6,490). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Colton in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Colton a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Colton in the US.
Where is Colton most popular?
In 2021–2025, Colton was most common in New Hampshire (7.84 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Maine.