Kolsen
A unique invented name potentially deriving from Scandinavian origins.
Name Census estimates that about 656 living Americans carry the first name Kolsen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kolsen today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kolsen births was 2024 (155 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kolsen. 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
656
~ 1 in 522,491 Americans
Peak year
2024
155 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,269
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Kolsen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kolsen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 393 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
Kolsen 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 Kolsen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kolsens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Kolsen, while Oklahoma, Nebraska, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kolsen
The given name Kolsen is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language family, with roots that can be traced back to the early medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the combination of two Old Germanic words, "kol" meaning "coal" or "charcoal," and "sen," which was a common suffix used to form personal names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kolsen can be found in the Frankish chronicles of the 8th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a minor nobleman from the Rhineland region. The name gained some prominence during the reign of Charlemagne, as several members of the Carolingian nobility bore variations of the name.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Kolsen of Trier was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy. He lived from approximately 1020 to 1090 and was renowned for his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Kolsen was particularly popular among the nobility and knightly classes of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable figure was Kolsen von Württemberg, a German knight who fought in the Crusades and was born around 1165.
As the use of surnames became more widespread in the later medieval period, the name Kolsen evolved into a surname in some regions, particularly in parts of Germany and the Low Countries. However, it continued to be used as a given name as well.
In the 16th century, a Dutch humanist scholar named Kolsen Grevius (1510-1572) gained recognition for his translations of classical Greek and Latin texts. He was also a respected educator and served as the rector of the Latin School in Leiden.
Another significant historical figure with the name Kolsen was Kolsen Müntzer (1489-1525), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a prominent role in the Peasants' War of 1524-1525. Although his radical views and involvement in the uprising led to his eventual execution, he left a lasting impact on the religious and social landscape of the time.
People
Kolsen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kolsen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kolsen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kolsen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 656 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kolsen 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 522,491 US residents.
Is Kolsen a common name?
We classify Kolsen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 661 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kolsen most popular?
The single biggest year for Kolsen was 2024, when 155 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kolsen is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Kolsen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kolsen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kolsen 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 Kolsen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kolsen 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 Kolsen 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Kolsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.