boy's name
Colson
KOHL-sun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 10,530
the United States
#311
2025 births
Colson is a boy's name of English origin meaning "son of Col", where Col is a medieval short form of Nicholas. A second line derives it from the Old English col, coal, as a nickname for someone dark-haired, and both are defended.
- Colson is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,099 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,017 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1924.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Colson over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 |
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1980s | 29 |
| 1990s | 233 |
| 2000s | 951 |
| 2010s | 2,522 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,984 |
What Colson means
Colson usually means son of Col, and Col was how medieval England shortened Nicholas. The rival reading takes col as coal, giving a byname for a person of dark complexion or hair.
Where Colson comes from
Colson is a patronymic from Col, the standard medieval English short form of Nicholas — the same source as Colin, Collins and Coles. The alternative traces it to the Old English col, coal, used as a nickname for a dark-haired or swarthy person, which is the source of the surname Cole. Surname dictionaries record both and cannot always separate them for a given family, since Col and Cole converged in spelling. First-name use is modern and American, boosted since 2016 by the novelist Colson Whitehead, whose two Pulitzer Prizes gave the name a literary standing it did not have before.
Colson in use
Colson charts in four of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Colson?
In 2025, Colson was given to 1,099 babies in the United States, ranking #311 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Colson 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 Colson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Colson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Colson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Colson
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Colson 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 Colson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Colson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Colson
What does the name Colson mean?
Son of Col, where Col is a medieval short form of Nicholas. A second reading takes col as coal, a nickname for someone dark-haired.
Is Colson related to Colton?
No. Colton is a place name meaning Cola's settlement; Colson is a patronymic. They are separate names that sound alike.
Is Colson a boy's or a girl's name?
It is given almost entirely to boys.
How popular is the name Colson?
In 2025, Colson was given to 1,099 babies in the United States, ranking #311 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Colson?
Colson has 2 syllables.
When was Colson most popular?
Colson peaked in 2025, when 1,099 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Colson?
Colson is usually shortened to Cole.
Is Colson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Colson currently ranks #311 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.