boy's name
Colby
KOL-bee
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 66,222
the United States
#615
2025 births
Colby is a boy's name of Norse origin meaning "Koli's farm," from villages in the English Danelaw. It ranks 166th in Scotland and 615th in the United States, and it is falling in our data.
- Colby is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2001, when 3,979 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,438 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1888.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Colby over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1910s | 32 |
| 1920s | 90 |
| 1930s | 73 |
| 1940s | 137 |
| 1950s | 290 |
| 1960s | 476 |
| 1970s | 3,057 |
| 1980s | 7,749 |
| 1990s | 15,471 |
| 2000s | 20,040 |
| 2010s | 7,674 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,061 |
What Colby means
Colby means Koli's settlement, from the Old Norse personal name Koli — itself meaning dark or coal-like — and by, a farm or village. It names a Viking's holding rather than describing anyone.
Where Colby comes from
Colby comes from villages in Norfolk, Cumbria and the Isle of Man, from the Old Norse Koli, a personal name meaning dark or swarthy, and by, a farmstead or settlement. The by element is the clearest surviving marker of Viking settlement in England: Derby, Whitby, Grimsby, Rugby and hundreds of others all carry it, and their distribution maps the Danelaw almost exactly. Colby's use as a given name is American and twentieth-century. The cheese is named for Colby, Wisconsin, where it was made in 1885, and that town is named after a person rather than the English villages — so the loop closes at two removes. Colby College in Maine is named for a benefactor.
Colby in use
Colby ranks 166th in Scotland with 27 births in 2024 and 615th in the United States with 515 births, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 2001. Our records carry it from 1888. It holds 224th in England and Wales, which is a stronger position than either — unusual for a name whose modern use is American in origin.
How popular is Colby?
In 2025, Colby was given to 515 babies in the United States, ranking #615 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Colby is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Colby
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Colby also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Colby over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Colby in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Colby
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Colby — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Colby
What does the name Colby mean?
Colby means "Koli's farm," from an Old Norse personal name and by, a settlement.
What does -by mean in place names?
A Norse farmstead. Derby, Whitby and Grimsby all carry it, and their distribution maps the Danelaw.
Is the cheese related?
At two removes — it is named for Colby, Wisconsin, which is named after a person rather than the English villages.
How popular is Colby?
166th in Scotland and 615th in the United States.
Is Colby a girl's or a boy's name?
Colby is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Colby?
Colby has 2 syllables.
Is Colby a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Colby currently ranks #166 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.