Columbus
Columbus is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Columbus
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Columbus is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Columbus
The earliest SSA record of Columbus as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 64 babies received it. 1922 was its biggest year on record, with 187 newborns named Columbus — #446 in the national rankings. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 20% of all recorded Columbuss. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2023 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 8K Columbuss 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 Columbus
Phonetically similar names — useful when Columbus 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 Columbus
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About the name Columbus
Columbus is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Columbus's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #446. Use the chart and map above to compare Columbus's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1922 →
- 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.