Find out how popular the last name Colby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Colby.

Colby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Colby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colby in America

Colby is the 3204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colby surname appeared 11,278 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Colby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Colby

The surname Colby has its origins in the Old Norse language, where it was derived from the word "kolr," meaning "coal" or "black." It first emerged in England during the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest.

Colby is believed to have originated as a place name, referring to settlements or villages with a connection to coal mining or coal-blackened landscapes. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Coleby" in Lincolnshire.

The name spread throughout various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Over time, it evolved into various spellings, including Colby, Colbie, Colbey, and Coulby.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Colby was Sir John Colby (c. 1335-1405), a prominent English soldier and landowner who served as a knight during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was Samuel Colby (1616-1687), a Puritan settler who migrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, Thomas Colby (1784-1857) gained recognition as a renowned English landscape painter, known for his depictions of rural scenes. Later, in the 19th century, Frank Moore Colby (1865-1925) made his mark as an American editor and publisher, serving as the editor-in-chief of the New International Encyclopedia.

Another prominent individual with the Colby surname was William Egan Colby (1920-1996), an American diplomat and intelligence officer who served as the Director of Central Intelligence from 1973 to 1976.

While the Colby surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it continues to be carried by numerous individuals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Colby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Colby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Colby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Colby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Colby, please contact us.

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