Coleby
An English masculine name meaning "dark, shining town".
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the first name Coleby. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coleby today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coleby births was 2001 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coleby. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
220
~ 1 in 1,557,974 Americans
Peak year
2001
19 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2010 SSA rank
#11,003
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Coleby: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coleby from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 101 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coleby by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Coleby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coleby
The given name Coleby is an English name that has its origins in the Old English language. The name is derived from the Old English words "col" meaning "coal" and "by" meaning "a village or town." Thus, the name Coleby can be interpreted to mean "a person from the coal town or village."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Coleby date back to the 11th century in England. It is believed that the name was initially used to identify individuals who lived in or were associated with a village or town that had a significant coal mining industry.
Historically, the name Coleby has been relatively uncommon, and there are few notable figures from the past who bore this name. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Coleby was Sir John Coleby, a 14th-century English landowner and knight who lived from around 1320 to 1395.
Another notable figure with the name Coleby was William Coleby, a 16th-century English clergyman and theologian who lived from approximately 1510 to 1580. He was known for his writings on religious matters and served as a rector in various parishes in England.
In the 17th century, there was a Coleby Seymour, who was born in 1632 and died in 1705. He was an English landowner and member of the gentry class, known for his involvement in local politics and community affairs.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable figure with the name Coleby was Samuel Coleby, a British merchant and trader who lived from 1725 to 1795. He was involved in the lucrative trade between Britain and its colonies, and his name is mentioned in various historical records related to maritime commerce.
Lastly, in the 19th century, there was a Coleby Hawkins, born in 1812 and died in 1895. He was an English architect and surveyor who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings and infrastructure projects during the Victorian era in Britain.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the given name Coleby. While the name has remained relatively uncommon, it has persisted over the centuries, carrying its connection to the coal towns and villages of England's past.
People
Coleby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coleby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Coleby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coleby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 220 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coleby going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,557,974 US residents.
Is Coleby a common name?
We classify Coleby as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 225 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coleby most popular?
The single biggest year for Coleby was 2001, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coleby is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Coleby a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coleby in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.