boy's name
Colton
KOHL-tun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 164,407
the United States
#103
2025 births
Colton is a boy's name of English origin meaning "coal town" or "Cola's settlement," from a place name. The first element is most likely the Old English personal name Cola, itself from col meaning coal or charcoal, describing dark hair or complexion.
- Colton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2013, when 6,496 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 968 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Colton over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 11 |
| 1920s | 28 |
| 1930s | 24 |
| 1940s | 24 |
| 1950s | 60 |
| 1960s | 130 |
| 1970s | 264 |
| 1980s | 4,001 |
| 1990s | 30,536 |
| 2000s | 34,303 |
| 2010s | 58,530 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 24,263 |
What Colton means
Colton means the settlement of Cola, or by a simpler reading a town where coal or charcoal was worked. Cola was a byname for someone dark-haired or swarthy, from the Old English col.
Where Colton comes from
Colton comes from English villages of that name in Staffordshire, Yorkshire and elsewhere, combining tun, a farmstead or settlement, with a first element usually identified as the Old English personal name Cola. Cola derives from col, meaning coal or charcoal, and was given as a byname to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion — the same way Blake and Dunn arose. An alternative reading takes the place name literally as a settlement where charcoal was burned. Colton became a surname from the places, and its use as a given name is modern and strongly American, rising sharply from the 1980s.
How popular is Colton?
In 2025, Colton was given to 3,426 babies in the United States, ranking #103 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Colton 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 Colton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Colton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Colton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Colton
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.
Colton 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 Colton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Colton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Colton
What does the name Colton mean?
Colton means "Cola's settlement" or "coal town," from the Old English col and tun.
Was Colton originally a surname?
Yes, from English villages of that name.
What are nicknames for Colton?
Colt is the standard short form.
How popular is the name Colton?
In 2025, Colton was given to 3,426 babies in the United States, ranking #103 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Colton a girl's or a boy's name?
Colton is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Colton?
Colton has 2 syllables.
Is Colton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Colton currently ranks #103 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.