Kolten
A masculine name of Scandinavian origin meaning "small town dweller".
Name Census estimates that about 5,707 living Americans carry the first name Kolten. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kolten today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kolten births was 2015 (308 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kolten. 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
- • Kolten is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
5.7K
~ 1 in 60,059 Americans
Peak year
2015
308 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,470
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Kolten: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kolten from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 2,690 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kolten remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kolten 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 Kolten during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Koltens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 39 states and territories. Texas, Missouri, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kolten, while South Carolina, Wyoming, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 101 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kolten
The name Kolten is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history that spans across cultures and centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic tribes, where it was derived from the Old Norse word "koltr," which meant "dark" or "dusky."
As the Germanic tribes migrated across Europe, the name Kolten underwent various transformations, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the Middle Ages, it was often written as "Kolten" or "Colten," and was particularly prevalent in regions such as modern-day Germany, Austria, and parts of Scandinavia.
While the name Kolten does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been recorded in historical documents and records throughout the centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Kolten von Eichstätt, a German nobleman who lived in the 12th century and played a significant role in the Crusades.
In the following centuries, the name Kolten continued to be used, albeit sparingly, across various parts of Europe. Notable individuals who carried this name include Kolten Grimmelshausen (1625-1676), a German author and satirist known for his picaresque novel "Simplicissimus"; Kolten Huber (1701-1759), an Austrian mathematician and philosopher; and Kolten Weigel (1804-1878), a German botanist and naturalist.
As time passed, the name Kolten gradually became more widespread, transcending geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. In the 19th century, Kolten Strauss (1825-1899), a German-American politician and lawyer, made a name for himself in the United States, where he served as a member of the California State Assembly.
More recently, the name Kolten has gained popularity in the world of sports, with several notable athletes bearing this moniker. Kolten Wong (born 1990) is an American professional baseball player who currently plays for the Seattle Mariners, while Kolten Mundil (born 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player.
Despite its somewhat obscure origins, the name Kolten has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on history, carried by a diverse array of individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, from literature and philosophy to politics and sports.
People
Kolten + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kolten 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
Kolten: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kolten?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,707 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kolten 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 60,059 US residents.
Is Kolten a common name?
We classify Kolten as "Rare". It ranks above 96.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,770 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kolten most popular?
The single biggest year for Kolten was 2015, when 308 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kolten is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kolten a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kolten 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.