Columba
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "dove" or "pigeon".
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Columba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Columba today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Columba births was 1919 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Columba. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Columba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1919
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2000 SSA rank
#13,539
Tracked since 1919
Census
Columba in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 818 people with the first name Columba, which placed it at #14,422 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
#14,422
National first-name rank
People counted
818
818 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
90.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Columba
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Columba is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Columba 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 Columba at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.1% · 737
- White4.4% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 25
- Black or African American2.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Columba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Columba from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Columba remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Columba 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 Columba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Columbas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Columba
The name Columba is derived from the Latin word columba, meaning "dove." It has its origins in the ancient Roman civilization and was initially associated with the Christian faith. The dove has long been a symbol of peace, purity, and the Holy Spirit in Christian tradition.
In the early days of Christianity, Columba was a popular name among the faithful, particularly in areas where Latin was the predominant language. It was often given to children as a reminder of the virtues associated with the dove, such as gentleness, innocence, and spiritual devotion.
One of the earliest and most notable figures to bear the name Columba was Saint Columba, also known as Colum Cille (521-597). He was an Irish abbot and missionary who established several monasteries, including the famous monastery on the island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland. His life and teachings played a significant role in spreading Christianity throughout Scotland and parts of northern England.
Another historical figure with the name Columba was Pope Columba (d. 742), who served as the Bishop of Rome from 708 to 715 AD. While little is known about his life, his pontificate was marked by the continued spread of Christianity in Europe and the resolution of theological disputes.
In the realm of literature, Columba appears as a character in the medieval Latin work "Vita Sancti Columbae" (Life of Saint Columba), written by the monk Adomnán around 700 AD. This work provides valuable insights into the life and miracles attributed to Saint Columba.
During the Middle Ages, the name Columba remained popular among Christian communities, particularly in monasteries and religious orders. One notable figure from this period was Columba of Sens (d. 273), a virgin martyr and saint who was venerated in the Catholic Church for her steadfast faith and courage in the face of persecution.
In the Renaissance period, the name Columba gained renewed popularity, particularly among scholars and humanists who appreciated its classical Latin roots. One such individual was Columba Cursiter (1503-1572), a Scottish humanist and scholar who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and the promotion of education.
While the name Columba has its origins in Latin and Christian tradition, it has transcended cultural and religious boundaries over time. Throughout history, individuals with this name have been celebrated for their contributions to various fields, including religion, literature, and scholarship.
People
Columba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Columba 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
Columba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Columba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Columba 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 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Columba a common name?
We classify Columba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Columba most popular?
The single biggest year for Columba was 1919, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Columba is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Columba in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 818 people with the name Columba, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,422 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 Columba 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 Columba?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Columba leans strongly female. 792 people counted with this name were female (96.5%), compared with 29 male bearers (3.5%). 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 Columba?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Columba is Hispanic at 90.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Columba most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Columba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (737 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 Columba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Columba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Columba in the SSA data are female. 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 Columba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Columba 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 Columba 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 Columba?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Columba at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.