Columbia
A feminine given name from the poetic personification of the United States of America.
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Columbia. It is a predominantly female name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Columbia today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Columbia births was 1916 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Columbia. 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 Columbia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
1916
33 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1926 SSA rank
#4,325
Tracked since 1882
Census
Columbia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 278 people with the first name Columbia, which placed it at #31,017 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
#31,017
National first-name rank
People counted
278
278 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Columbia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Columbia is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Hispanic (11.5%). 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 Columbia 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 Columbia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.8% · 158
- Black or African American23.4% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 12
- Two or more races2.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Columbia
Out of the 652 babies given the name Columbia since 1880, 99.2% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Columbia as a male name
- Ranked #4,325 in 1926
- 5 male births in 1926
- Peak: 1926 (5 births)
Columbia as a female name
- Ranked #12,402 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1916 (33 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Columbia leans strongly female. 241 people counted with this name were female (86.1%), compared with 39 male bearers (13.9%).
Popularity
Columbia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Columbia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 218 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Columbia 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 Columbia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Columbias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Columbia, while Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Columbia
The name Columbia is derived from the Latin word "columba," which means "dove." This name has its origins in ancient Roman culture, where doves were revered as symbols of peace, love, and fertility.
During the Renaissance period in Europe, the name Columbia gained popularity as a personification of the Americas, representing the "New World" discovered by European explorers. The female figure of Columbia was often depicted wearing a Native American headdress and carrying a shield or other patriotic symbols.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Columbia can be found in the writings of the ancient Roman poet Ovid, who mentioned a character named Columba in his work "Metamorphoses." In the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various religious texts and manuscripts, often referring to the dove as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Columbia. One of the most famous was Columbia Marpesia (c. 1588-1663), an Italian poet and writer who was renowned for her literary works during the Renaissance period. Another notable figure was Columbia Tentori (1768-1847), an Italian painter and engraver known for her portraits and religious artwork.
In the United States, the name Columbia became closely associated with the personification of America, often depicted as a female figure representing liberty and freedom. One notable bearer of the name was Columbia Theodosia Burr (1788-1812), the daughter of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States.
Another influential figure was Columbia Woodhull (1838-1927), an American leader of the women's suffrage movement and the first woman to run for President of the United States in 1872.
The name Columbia also has literary connections, with characters bearing the name appearing in works by authors such as James Fenimore Cooper and Herman Melville. In Cooper's novel "The Pioneers," Columbia is the name of a young woman who represents the ideals of the American frontier.
While the name Columbia has a rich historical background, it is important to note that its popularity has waned in modern times, with fewer people choosing it as a first name for their children.
People
Columbia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Columbia 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
Columbia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Columbia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Columbia 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 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Columbia a common name?
We classify Columbia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 652 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Columbia most popular?
The single biggest year for Columbia was 1916, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Columbia is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Columbia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 278 people with the name Columbia, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,017 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 Columbia 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 Columbia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Columbia leans strongly female. 241 people counted with this name were female (86.1%), compared with 39 male bearers (13.9%). 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 Columbia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Columbia is White at 56.8%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Hispanic (11.5%). 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 Columbia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Columbia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.8% (158 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 Columbia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Columbia a female name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Columbia 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 Columbia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Columbia 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 Columbia 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 common is the name Columbia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.