ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1888 First Year 2026 Last Year 2001 Peak Year #99 Peak Rank 55K Total Count 112 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1950 First Year 2026 Last Year 1992 Peak Year #1029 Peak Rank 4K Total Count 72 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Colby What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Colby is a name with a single cultural origin: English. Origin data from [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/). ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## 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. The name hit its high-water mark in 1992: 155 births, good for #1,138 nationwide. About 29% of every Colby on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Colby ranks #3,140 for girls with 51 births, gradually rising (+11%). All told, over 4K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Colby as a boy name dates back to 1888, when 5 babies received it. 2001 was its biggest year on record, with 3,859 newborns named Colby — #99 in the national rankings. About 35% of every Colby on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Colby ranks #580 for boys with 499 births, gradually rising (+8%). All told, over 55K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Colby Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Colby. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Kolby](/kolby) 🎶 ## 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. * [Kolby](/kolby) * [Colbey](/colbey) * [Kelby](/kelby) * [Kilby](/kilby) * [Coby](/coby) * Coli * [Koby](/koby) * [Coley](/coley) * [Kobi](/kobi) * Kelpie * Colli * Kolb Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Colby What does the name Colby mean? Colby is a name with a single cultural origin: English. What is the origin of the name Colby? Colby has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Colby in 2026? In 2026, Colby ranks #580 among boys' names in the U.S., with 499 babies given the name that year. When was Colby most popular? Colby reached its peak popularity in 2001, ranking #99 that year with 3,859 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Colby most popular? Colby has historically been most popular in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Colby. Is Colby a unisex name? Yes — Colby is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 7% of Colbys assigned female and 93% assigned male historically. What names go well with Colby? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Colby include Riley, Camden, Perry. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Colby? Common variants and related forms of Colby include Kolby. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦RileyPeak #99](/riley)[👦CamdenPeak #99](/camden)[👦PerryPeak #100](/perry)[👦PercyPeak #98](/percy) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧RomanaPeak #1029](/romana)[👧TommyPeak #1029](/tommy)[👧YamilePeak #1029](/yamile)[👧KaneeshaPeak #1029](/kaneesha) ## 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 → ](/year/2001) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.