Colby is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Colby means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Colby across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Colby has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Colby is a boy name of Old Norse origin meaning “dark farmstead”. From an English place name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 58,155 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,437 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 268 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 60 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 25 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Colby per year, United States (1888 to 2025). United States peaked in 2001 (3,979/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (223/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2024 (27/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2022 (11/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2025 (5/yr).
Colby has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2001, when it ranked #173 nationally (given to 4,025 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2000s.
Kolby · Kelby · Colbie · Kolbe · Kolbie · Kolbi · Colbey
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