Colter
Originates as an English surname derived from an occupation related to coal.
Name Census estimates that about 8,237 living Americans carry the first name Colter. It sits at #218 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Colter today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Colter births was 2024 (1,643 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Colter. 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.
Key insights
- • Colter is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
8.2K
~ 1 in 41,612 Americans
Peak year
2024
1,643 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#218
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Colter: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Colter from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 4,056 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Colter 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 Colter during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Colters live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. Texas, Utah, Montana recorded the most babies named Colter, while New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 138 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Colter
The name Colter has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the word "coltyre," which means "coal burner" or "charcoal maker." This occupation-based name was commonly found in parts of England and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colter can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population conducted in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. In this historical document, several individuals with the surname Colter were mentioned, indicating the name's presence in medieval England.
The name Colter gained further recognition in the 15th century with the exploits of John Colter, an American frontiersman and member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Born in 1774, Colter was one of the first Europeans to explore the region now known as Yellowstone National Park. His adventures and encounters with Native American tribes contributed to the legend surrounding his name.
Another notable figure bearing the name Colter was William Colter, a Scottish inventor and engineer born in 1839. Colter played a crucial role in the development of the first successful pneumatic tyre, revolutionizing the transportation industry. His patents and innovations laid the foundation for modern tyre manufacturing.
In the realm of literature, the name Colter found its way into the works of American author James Fenimore Cooper. In his novel "The Prairie," published in 1827, one of the central characters is named Ishmael Colter, a rugged frontiersman navigating the wilderness of the American West. This fictional portrayal further solidified the association of the name with the spirit of exploration and adventure.
Colter also appears in the annals of military history, with Charles Colter, a British officer born in 1812, distinguishing himself during the Crimean War. His bravery and leadership earned him the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded for valor in the face of the enemy.
Throughout its history, the name Colter has carried connotations of strength, resilience, and a connection to the natural world, reflecting the occupations and lifestyles of those who bore this name in centuries past.
People
Colter + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Colter 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
Colter: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Colter?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Colter 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 41,612 US residents.
Is Colter a common name?
We classify Colter as "Rare". It ranks above 97.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,343 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Colter most popular?
The single biggest year for Colter was 2024, when 1,643 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Colter is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Colter a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Colter 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.