Colby
The Story of Colby
As a girl name
Colby first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1950, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1992, when 155 Colbys were born — ranking #1,138 that year. As of 2026, Colby ranks #3,140 for girls with 51 births, gradually rising (+11%). In total, more than 4K Colbys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Colby first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1888, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2001, when 3,859 Colbys were born — ranking #99 that year. As of 2026, Colby ranks #580 for boys with 499 births, gradually rising (+8%). In total, more than 55K Colbys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Colby
Phonetically similar names — useful when Colby is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Colby
What does the name Colby mean?
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In which U.S. states is Colby most popular?
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About the name Colby
Colby is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1888 and has accumulated 55K births in the dataset. Colby's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #99. Use the chart and map above to compare Colby's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2001 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.