Colby
An English surname from northern place names that join the Old Norse byname Koli, itself from a word for coal or dark, with byr, a farm or settlement.
Colby in 2025
Colby was given to 515 babies in the United States in 2025 — 455 boys and 60 girls, making it the 1,147th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 6,438 babies born.
The history of Colby
Colby reached its highest point in 2001, when 3,979 babies were given the name, ranking 173rd that year.
Across the 138 years of records since 1888, 58,155 babies have been named Colby. Half of them were born before 2001, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Colby by decade
| Decade | Babies named Colby | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | 2,225 |
| 1910s | 32 | 5,412 |
| 1920s | 90 | 4,635 |
| 1930s | 73 | 4,670 |
| 1940s | 137 | 3,197 |
| 1950s | 290 | 2,740 |
| 1960s | 476 | 1,870 |
| 1970s | 3,057 | 862 |
| 1980s | 7,749 | 478 |
| 1990s | 15,471 | 365 |
| 2000s | 20,040 | 173 |
| 2010s | 7,674 | 532 |
| 2020s | 3,061 | 1,111 |
Where Colby is heading
Colby has fallen 27% over the past decade, from 710 babies in 2015 to 515 in 2025.
Names like Colby
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Colby.