Unisex · #10,667 in 2026

Kolya

Kolya is a name with a single cultural origin: Russian.

  • Russian
Current Rank
#10,667
Peak Rank
#4,573 (1987)
Total Babies
14
5-Yr Trend
Stable
👧 Girl peak #12,688 (6 total)
👦 Boy peak #4,573 (14 total)
👦As Boy Name
1987
First Year
2002
Last Year
1987
Peak Year
#4573
Peak Rank
14
Total Count
2
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1999
First Year
1999
Last Year
1999
Peak Year
#12688
Peak Rank
6
Total Count
1
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kolya

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Kolya is a name with a single cultural origin: Russian.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Russian

The Story of Kolya

As a girl name

Kolya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1999, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1999: 6 births, good for #12,688 nationwide. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1999 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 6 Kolyas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Kolya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1987, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1987: 9 births, good for #4,573 nationwide. The 1980s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 64% of all recorded Kolyas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2002 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 14 Kolyas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

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 Kolya

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kolya. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Kolya

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kolya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Cola
  • Coolio
  • Colla
  • Kola
  • Colma
  • Kilwa
  • Scolia
  • Coia
  • Colza
  • Khoja
  • Kolka
  • Kahlua

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kolya

What does the name Kolya mean?
Kolya is a name with a single cultural origin: Russian.
What is the origin of the name Kolya?
Kolya has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Russian.
How popular is Kolya in 2026?
In 2026, Kolya ranks #10,667 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Kolya most popular?
Kolya reached its peak popularity in 1987, ranking #4,573 that year with 9 babies given the name.
Is Kolya a unisex name?
Yes — Kolya is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 30% of Kolyas assigned female and 70% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kolya?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kolya include Karlis, Mrk, Dayn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Kolya?
Common variants and related forms of Kolya include Nikolai, Nikolay. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Kolya

Kolya is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1987 and has accumulated 14 births in the dataset. Kolya's peak popularity came in 1987 when it ranked #4,573. Use the chart and map above to compare Kolya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.