Colonel
Colonel is the highest ranking non-General grade officer used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
Meaning & Origin of Colonel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Colonel is the highest ranking non-General grade officer used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Colonel
The earliest SSA record of Colonel as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 11 babies received it. 1920 was its biggest year on record, with 37 newborns named Colonel — #1,180 in the national rankings. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 22% of all recorded Colonels. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1987 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 1K Colonels 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 Colonel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Colonel 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 Colonel
What does the name Colonel mean?
How popular is Colonel in 2026?
When was Colonel most popular?
In which U.S. states is Colonel most popular?
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About the name Colonel
Colonel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Colonel's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #1,180. Use the chart and map above to compare Colonel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.