How Many People Are Named Columbus?
An estimated 2,165 people in the United States have the first name Columbus. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 67 years old, and Columbus peaked in popularity in 1922 with 187 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Columbus as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Columbus paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 67, Columbus is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1969.
Estimated Living Americans
2,165
About 1 in 158,316 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
67
years old
Peak Year
1922
187 births
Total Registered
7,517
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Columbus
Columbus is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 7,517 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Columbus as a male name
Ranked #12,573 in 2023
5 male births in 2023
Peak: 1922 (187 births)
Columbus: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Columbus span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 1,526 babies were registered. Columbus has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Columbus by Decade
How has Columbus tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Columbus by State
Birth registrations for Columbus span all 17 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama. The lowest are in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri. On average, about 238 Columbuss were registered per state.
Columbus + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Columbus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Columbus
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Columbus: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Columbus?
We estimate approximately 2,165 people named Columbus are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 158,316 Americans share this first name.
Is Columbus a common name?
Columbus is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 94% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 7,517 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Columbus most popular?
Columbus reached peak popularity in 1922, when 187 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Columbus is approximately 67 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Columbus a male name?
Columbus is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Columbus Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Columbus Smith, Columbus Johnson, Columbus Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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