Colby
#2,822 for girls in 2025, 60 births · #615 for boys in 2025, 455 births
Given to boys 92.8% of the time
- Peak · boys
- 2001 · 3,859 births
- Debut · boys
- 5 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 1 yrof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 53,971since 1888
Colby over time
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #2,822 | 60 | #615 | 455 |
| 2024 | #3,225 | 49 | #583 | 490 |
| 2023 | #3,386 | 47 | #607 | 467 |
| 2022 | #2,689 | 64 | #600 | 469 |
| 2021 | #2,958 | 56 | #651 | 420 |
| 2020 | #3,399 | 45 | #618 | 439 |
| 2019 | #3,272 | 48 | #612 | 447 |
| 2018 | #3,614 | 42 | #597 | 459 |
| 2017 | #3,346 | 47 | #584 | 465 |
| 2016 | #3,996 | 37 | #529 | 558 |
| 2015 | #3,478 | 45 | #456 | 665 |
| 2014 | #3,137 | 52 | #427 | 717 |
| 2013 | #4,336 | 33 | #400 | 746 |
| 2012 | #3,364 | 48 | #341 | 909 |
| 2011 | #2,989 | 57 | #314 | 1,026 |
| 2010 | #2,691 | 66 | #280 | 1,207 |
| 2009 | #2,568 | 72 | #285 | 1,152 |
| 2008 | #2,630 | 70 | #273 | 1,256 |
| 2007 | #2,684 | 68 | #283 | 1,221 |
| 2006 | #3,564 | 44 | #272 | 1,272 |
| 2005 | #2,969 | 54 | #220 | 1,603 |
| 2004 | #2,396 | 71 | #185 | 2,066 |
| 2003 | #2,084 | 85 | #181 | 2,170 |
| 2002 | #1,564 | 119 | #125 | 3,118 |
| 2001 | #1,540 | 120 | #99 | 3,859 |
| 2000 | #1,262 | 155 | #234 | 1,465 |
| 1999 | #1,309 | 138 | #224 | 1,507 |
| 1998 | #1,774 | 88 | #220 | 1,456 |
| 1997 | #1,718 | 90 | #229 | 1,357 |
| 1996 | #1,551 | 102 | #225 | 1,344 |
| 1995 | #1,474 | 108 | #209 | 1,411 |
| 1994 | #1,229 | 142 | #200 | 1,449 |
| 1993 | #1,271 | 134 | #200 | 1,519 |
| 1992 | #1,138 | 155 | #197 | 1,574 |
| 1991 | #1,328 | 124 | #202 | 1,515 |
| 1990 | #1,265 | 129 | #245 | 1,129 |
| 1989 | #1,414 | 105 | #250 | 1,032 |
| 1988 | #1,384 | 102 | #255 | 922 |
| 1987 | #1,098 | 138 | #257 | 870 |
| 1986 | #1,142 | 125 | #253 | 891 |
| 1985 | #1,030 | 146 | #286 | 715 |
| 1984 | #1,080 | 129 | #276 | 759 |
| 1983 | #1,423 | 82 | #300 | 656 |
| 1982 | #2,901 | 31 | #360 | 494 |
| 1981 | #4,344 | 17 | #539 | 242 |
| 1980 | #2,866 | 31 | #531 | 262 |
| 1979 | #2,931 | 29 | #478 | 298 |
| 1978 | #3,098 | 25 | #479 | 289 |
| 1977 | #2,216 | 41 | #467 | 298 |
| 1976 | #2,099 | 41 | #432 | 320 |
| 1975 | #2,060 | 42 | #413 | 350 |
| 1974 | #2,066 | 40 | #435 | 330 |
| 1973 | #2,689 | 26 | #445 | 309 |
| 1972 | #3,062 | 21 | #551 | 209 |
| 1971 | #3,373 | 19 | #559 | 209 |
| 1970 | #3,311 | 19 | #695 | 142 |
| 1969 | #4,198 | 12 | #841 | 83 |
| 1968 | #4,489 | 10 | #844 | 74 |
| 1967 | — | #1,150 | 42 | |
| 1966 | — | #1,216 | 38 | |
| 1965 | #5,817 | 6 | #1,360 | 32 |
| 1964 | #6,009 | 6 | #1,462 | 29 |
| 1963 | #5,891 | 6 | #1,354 | 33 |
| 1962 | #5,860 | 6 | #1,546 | 26 |
| 1961 | — | #1,233 | 41 | |
| 1960 | — | #1,400 | 32 | |
| 1959 | #6,245 | 5 | #1,467 | 29 |
| 1958 | #6,103 | 5 | #1,677 | 22 |
| 1957 | #6,086 | 5 | #1,411 | 31 |
| 1956 | #5,952 | 5 | #1,480 | 28 |
| 1955 | #3,095 | 14 | #1,538 | 25 |
| 1954 | #5,148 | 6 | #1,762 | 19 |
| 1953 | #3,955 | 9 | #1,900 | 17 |
| 1952 | #3,796 | 9 | #1,485 | 26 |
| 1951 | — | #2,055 | 14 | |
| 1950 | #4,315 | 7 | #2,019 | 14 |
| 1949 | — | #1,501 | 24 | |
| 1948 | — | #1,460 | 25 | |
| 1947 | — | #1,850 | 17 | |
| 1946 | — | #2,690 | 8 | |
| 1945 | — | #1,772 | 15 | |
| 1944 | — | #1,738 | 16 | |
| 1943 | — | #2,405 | 10 | |
| 1942 | — | #2,523 | 9 | |
| 1941 | — | #2,872 | 7 | |
| 1940 | — | #3,130 | 6 | |
| 1939 | — | #2,449 | 9 | |
| 1938 | — | #2,326 | 10 | |
| 1937 | — | #2,905 | 7 | |
| 1936 | — | #2,854 | 7 | |
| 1935 | — | #2,396 | 10 | |
| 1934 | — | #3,277 | 6 | |
| 1933 | — | #3,268 | 6 | |
| 1932 | — | #3,776 | 5 | |
| 1931 | — | #3,763 | 5 | |
| 1930 | — | #3,022 | 8 | |
| 1929 | — | #3,959 | 5 | |
| 1928 | — | #2,843 | 9 | |
| 1927 | — | #2,703 | 10 | |
| 1926 | — | #3,139 | 8 | |
| 1925 | — | #3,155 | 8 | |
| 1924 | — | #3,023 | 9 | |
| 1923 | — | #3,467 | 7 | |
| 1922 | — | #3,252 | 8 | |
| 1921 | — | #2,376 | 13 | |
| 1920 | — | #2,336 | 13 | |
| 1919 | — | #3,115 | 8 | |
| 1918 | — | #3,368 | 7 | |
| 1917 | — | #2,732 | 9 | |
| 1916 | — | #2,926 | 8 | |
| 1915 | — | — | ||
| 1914 | — | — | ||
| 1913 | — | — | ||
| 1912 | — | — | ||
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| 1892 | — | — | ||
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | — | — | ||
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | — | #1,031 | 5 | |
| 1887 | — | — | ||
| 1886 | — | — | ||
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
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 1978
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
- Utah#127 · 1 in 812
- Idaho#148 · 1 in 885
- Nebraska#187 · 1 in 1,657
- Washington#219 · 1 in 1,785
- Oregon#223 · 1 in 1,811
Best ever in a state: #15 in Maine, 2002.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | #127 | 22 | 1 in 812 |
| Idaho | #148 | 9 | 1 in 885 |
| Nebraska | #187 | 7 | 1 in 1,657 |
| Washington | #219 | 15 | 1 in 1,785 |
| Oregon | #223 | 10 | 1 in 1,811 |
| Kansas | #250 | 7 | 1 in 2,226 |
| Maryland | #283 | 7 | 1 in 3,049 |
| Colorado | #291 | 8 | 1 in 2,516 |
| Louisiana | #303 | 17 | 1 in 1,944 |
| Arkansas | #305 | 5 | 1 in 2,948 |
| Oklahoma | #315 | 7 | 1 in 2,836 |
| Missouri | #342 | 8 | 1 in 4,370 |
| Texas | #375 | 38 | 1 in 3,029 |
| Georgia | #402 | 10 | 1 in 3,776 |
| Pennsylvania | #413 | 11 | 1 in 6,670 |
| California | #609 | 20 | 1 in 8,446 |
| New York | #667 | 11 | 1 in 10,023 |
| Ohio | #675 | 5 | 1 in 15,414 |
| Illinois | #862 | 5 | 1 in 15,878 |
| Alabama | — | — | — |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Arizona | — | — | — |
| Connecticut | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Florida | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
| Indiana | — | — | — |
| Iowa | — | — | — |
| Kentucky | — | — | — |
| Maine | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — |
| Michigan | — | — | — |
| Minnesota | — | — | — |
| Mississippi | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| Nevada | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Jersey | — | — | — |
| New Mexico | — | — | — |
| North Carolina | — | — | — |
| North Dakota | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| South Carolina | — | — | — |
| South Dakota | — | — | — |
| Tennessee | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Virginia | — | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — | — |
| Wisconsin | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Colby
- 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)
- Debuted 1888
- Peaked 2001 at #99 (3,859 births)
- Births halved by 2005, 4 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 1 yr · 2001
- Top 1,000: 58 yrs · run 1968–2025
- Highest: 1 in 503 boys born in 2001 were named Colby (0.20%)
- Latest: 1 in 3,754 boys born in 2025 (0.03%)
- 35.5% of all boys named Colby (19,182) were born in this decade
- The majority has never changed
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | #1,031 (1888) | #1,031 |
| 1890s | 0 | — | — |
| 1900s | 0 | — | — |
| 1910s | 32 | #2,732 (1917) | #3,035 |
| 1920s | 90 | #2,336 (1920) | #3,025 |
| 1930s | 73 | #2,326 (1938) | #3,004 |
| 1940s | 137 | #1,460 (1948) | #2,194 |
| 1950s | 225 | #1,411 (1957) | #1,679 |
| 1960s | 430 | #841 (1969) | #1,241 |
| 1970s | 2,754 | #413 (1975) | #495 |
| 1980s | 6,843 | #250 (1989) | #331 |
| 1990s | 14,261 | #197 (1992) | #215 |
| 2000s | 19,182 | #99 (2001) | #216 |
| 2010s | 7,199 | #280 (2010) | #454 |
| 2020s | 2,740 | #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 1978
Top girls' names in 1978
Top boys' names in 1978
More about 1978
girls
1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 61,274 of them was named Colby, which outranked 73.0% of the 11,475 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #3,009Vida26
- #3,009Vincent26
- #3,009Zara26
- #3,098Colby25
- #3,098Aesha25
- #3,098Alanda25
- #3,098Alica25
- #3,196Abbe24
- #3,196Akia24
- #3,196Aleasha24
Tied with 97 names at #3,098; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,641,837 boys got a published name in 1978; 1 in 5,681 of them was named Colby, which outranked 92.9% of the 6,762 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.