Coltin
A masculine name derived from an English surname, possibly meaning "from the cottager's dwelling".
Name Census estimates that about 2,522 living Americans carry the first name Coltin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Coltin today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coltin births was 2012 (126 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coltin. 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
2.5K
~ 1 in 135,906 Americans
Peak year
2012
126 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,217
Tracked since 1987
Census
Coltin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,109 people with the first name Coltin, which placed it at #7,283 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,283
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,109 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coltin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Coltin is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Coltin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Coltin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 1,859
- Two or more races4.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 34
- Black or African American0.9% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Popularity
Coltin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coltin from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 966 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
Coltin 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 Coltin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coltins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Coltin, while Virginia, Oregon, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Coltin
The given name Coltin is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins rooted in the ancient Celtic languages. This name is believed to have emerged from the Gaelic word "colt," which translates to "youth" or "young person." The name's earliest recorded instances can be traced back to medieval Scotland and Ireland, where it was primarily used as a surname or a descriptive term for a young individual.
In the annals of Scottish history, the name Coltin appears to have been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Coltin MacKinnon, a renowned warrior and chieftain who lived in the 16th century. He played a pivotal role in the clan battles and territorial disputes of the time, leading his clan with valor and strategic prowess.
Another notable bearer of the name was Coltin O'Reilly, an Irish poet and bard who lived during the 17th century. His poetic works, which celebrated the rich culture and traditions of Ireland, were widely renowned and have been preserved in numerous literary anthologies.
As the centuries progressed, the name Coltin found its way into various other cultures and societies. In the 19th century, there was a prominent English artist named Coltin Smythe, whose landscapes and portraits captured the essence of Victorian-era Britain with remarkable skill and detail.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the contributions of Coltin Fitzgerald, an American author and playwright from the early 20th century. His thought-provoking works, which explored themes of social inequality and the human condition, garnered critical acclaim and continue to be studied in academic circles.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Coltin Mabry, a pioneering aviator from the mid-20th century. He achieved numerous feats in the field of aviation, including setting several long-distance flight records and contributing significantly to the advancement of aircraft design and technology.
While the name Coltin may not be as widely used as some other names, its rich history and cultural significance continue to captivate those who appreciate the beauty and depth of ancient nomenclature. From the rugged highlands of Scotland to the artistic circles of Victorian England and beyond, this name has left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human civilization.
People
Coltin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coltin 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
Coltin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coltin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,522 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coltin 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 135,906 US residents.
Is Coltin a common name?
We classify Coltin as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,558 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coltin most popular?
The single biggest year for Coltin was 2012, when 126 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coltin is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Coltin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,109 people with the name Coltin, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,283 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Coltin in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Coltin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Coltin appears almost entirely male. Of the 2,111 people counted with this name, 99.7% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Coltin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Coltin is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Coltin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Coltin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (1,859 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Coltin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coltin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coltin 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.
Is Coltin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coltin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Coltin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Coltin?
Want to know how many Americans are named Coltin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.