Colby

Colby: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“dark farm”
Origin
Old Norse
Say it
KOHL-bee · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys (93% of all uses)

From an English surname and place name of Norse origin, from Koli, a byname meaning 'dark,' plus býr 'farm, settlement.' Also used as a given name in modern English.

How popular is Colby?

2024162 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Colby in 2024538

2024 rank#581 boys

Peak year2001

Total US babies since 188057,635

Colby is fading: recent use is about 57% of its level ten years before.

Names like Colby

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Colbiefrom the dark farm · English
  • Kolbycoal settlement · Scandinavian
  • Ericeternal ruler · Old Norse
  • Ronaldruler's counselor · Old Norse
  • Eriketernal ruler · Old Norse
  • Odinfrenzy, inspiration · Old Norse
  • DustinThor's stone · Old Norse
  • Gunnarwarrior · Old Norse

Colby questions

What does the name Colby mean?

Colby means "dark farm". It comes from Old Norse. From an English surname and place name of Norse origin, from Koli, a byname meaning 'dark,' plus býr 'farm, settlement.' Also used as a given name in modern English.

Is Colby a boy or girl name?

Colby is mainly a boy's name in US records (93% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Colby?

538 US babies were named Colby in 2024. Its peak year was 2001.

How do you pronounce Colby?

Colby is usually pronounced KOHL-bee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.