Colby

#2,822 for girls in 2025, 60 births · #615 for boys in 2025, 455 births
Given to boys 92.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2001 · 3,859 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
1 yr
of 146 years
Total births · boys
53,971
since 1888

Colby over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201888peak #1,030, 1985peak #99, 2001girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,82260#615455
2024#3,22549#583490
2023#3,38647#607467
2022#2,68964#600469
2021#2,95856#651420
2020#3,39945#618439
2019#3,27248#612447
2018#3,61442#597459
2017#3,34647#584465
2016#3,99637#529558
2015#3,47845#456665
2014#3,13752#427717
2013#4,33633#400746
2012#3,36448#341909
2011#2,98957#3141,026
2010#2,69166#2801,207
2009#2,56872#2851,152
2008#2,63070#2731,256
2007#2,68468#2831,221
2006#3,56444#2721,272
2005#2,96954#2201,603
2004#2,39671#1852,066
2003#2,08485#1812,170
2002#1,564119#1253,118
2001#1,540120#993,859
2000#1,262155#2341,465
1999#1,309138#2241,507
1998#1,77488#2201,456
1997#1,71890#2291,357
1996#1,551102#2251,344
1995#1,474108#2091,411
1994#1,229142#2001,449
1993#1,271134#2001,519
1992#1,138155#1971,574
1991#1,328124#2021,515
1990#1,265129#2451,129
1989#1,414105#2501,032
1988#1,384102#255922
1987#1,098138#257870
1986#1,142125#253891
1985#1,030146#286715
1984#1,080129#276759
1983#1,42382#300656
1982#2,90131#360494
1981#4,34417#539242
1980#2,86631#531262
1979#2,93129#478298
1978#3,09825#479289
1977#2,21641#467298
1976#2,09941#432320
1975#2,06042#413350
1974#2,06640#435330
1973#2,68926#445309
1972#3,06221#551209
1971#3,37319#559209
1970#3,31119#695142
1969#4,19812#84183
1968#4,48910#84474
1967—#1,15042
1966—#1,21638
1965#5,8176#1,36032
1964#6,0096#1,46229
1963#5,8916#1,35433
1962#5,8606#1,54626
1961—#1,23341
1960—#1,40032
1959#6,2455#1,46729
1958#6,1035#1,67722
1957#6,0865#1,41131
1956#5,9525#1,48028
1955#3,09514#1,53825
1954#5,1486#1,76219
1953#3,9559#1,90017
1952#3,7969#1,48526
1951—#2,05514
1950#4,3157#2,01914
1949—#1,50124
1948—#1,46025
1947—#1,85017
1946—#2,6908
1945—#1,77215
1944—#1,73816
1943—#2,40510
1942—#2,5239
1941—#2,8727
1940—#3,1306
1939—#2,4499
1938—#2,32610
1937—#2,9057
1936—#2,8547
1935—#2,39610
1934—#3,2776
1933—#3,2686
1932—#3,7765
1931—#3,7635
1930—#3,0228
1929—#3,9595
1928—#2,8439
1927—#2,70310
1926—#3,1398
1925—#3,1558
1924—#3,0239
1923—#3,4677
1922—#3,2528
1921—#2,37613
1920—#2,33613
1919—#3,1158
1918—#3,3687
1917—#2,7329
1916—#2,9268
1915——
1914——
1913——
1912——
1911——
1910——
1909——
1908——
1907——
1906——
1905——
1904——
1903——
1902——
1901——
1900——
1899——
1898——
1897——
1896——
1895——
1894——
1893——
1892——
1891——
1890——
1889——
1888—#1,0315
1887——
1886——
1885——
1884——
1883——
1882——
1881——
1880——
First appearance
1888

The first year at least five boys were named Colby! It came in at #1,031, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1888–1915, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Colby is popular in 1888

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Colby
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 32 spots since 2024 (#583 → #615)
  • 3 spots since 2020 (#618 → #615)
  • 159 spots since 2015 (#456 → #615)
  • Biggest jump: 306 spots in 1968 (#1,150 → #844)
  • Biggest drop: 73 spots in 2016 (#456 → #529)
Rise & fade · boys
113 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1888
  • Peaked 2001 at #99 (3,859 births)
  • Births halved by 2005, 4 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 1 yr
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 1 yr · 2001
  • Top 1,000: 58 yrs · run 1968–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 503
  • Highest: 1 in 503 boys born in 2001 were named Colby (0.20%)
  • Latest: 1 in 3,754 boys born in 2025 (0.03%)
Era · boys
The 2000s
  • 35.5% of all boys named Colby (19,182) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
  • The majority has never changed
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s5#1,031 (1888)#1,031
1890s0——
1900s0——
1910s32#2,732 (1917)#3,035
1920s90#2,336 (1920)#3,025
1930s73#2,326 (1938)#3,004
1940s137#1,460 (1948)#2,194
1950s225#1,411 (1957)#1,679
1960s430#841 (1969)#1,241
1970s2,754#413 (1975)#495
1980s6,843#250 (1989)#331
1990s14,261#197 (1992)#215
2000s19,182#99 (2001)#216
2010s7,199#280 (2010)#454
2020s2,740#583 (2024)#612

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Colby in 1888

boys
#1,031
5 births · 1 in 24,170 boys

Top boys' names in 1888

  1. #1John9,247
  2. #2William8,705
  3. #3James5,562
  4. #4George4,912
  5. #5Charles4,591
  6. #6Frank3,459
  7. #7Joseph2,993
  8. #8Robert2,814
  9. #9Harry2,759
  10. #10Henry2,596
  11. #1,031Colby5
More about 1888

boys

120,852 boys got a published name in 1888; 1 in 24,170 of them was named Colby, which outranked 12.4% of the 1,177 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 39.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Colby
  1. #917York6
  2. #917Young6
  3. #917Zeke6
  4. #1,031Colby5
  5. #1,031Ad5
  6. #1,031Ada5
  7. #1,031Addie5

Tied with 146 names at #1,031; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1887
Risers
  1. ↑ 416Dell#921 → #505
  2. ↑ 416Reed#921 → #505
  3. ↑ 377Simeon#819 → #442
  4. ↑ 375Hardy#752 → #377
  5. ↑ 367Hazel#921 → #554
Fallers
  1. ↓ 487Connie#544 → #1,031
  2. ↓ 448Alice#583 → #1,031
  3. ↓ 448Shelton#583 → #1,031
  4. ↓ 401Bruno#516 → #917
  5. ↓ 401Young#516 → #917

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1888 →