How Many People Are Named Kolby?
An estimated 12,578 people in the United States have the first name Kolby. It is used for both genders, with 89.8% male. The average bearer is 22 years old, and Kolby peaked in popularity in 2001 with 781 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Kolby as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Kolby paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
12,578
About 1 in 27,250 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
89.8% confidence
Average Age
22
years old
Peak Year
2001
781 births
Total Registered
12,792
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Kolby
Kolby is predominantly male (89.8%), though 1,308 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Kolby as a male name
Ranked #1,268 in 2024
155 male births in 2024
Peak: 2001 (739 births)
Kolby as a female name
Ranked #3,916 in 2024
38 female births in 2024
Peak: 2000 (55 births)
Kolby in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 10,460 people with the first name Kolby, which placed it at #2,393 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Kolby was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 10,460 people with this name in that snapshot, 89.8% were male and 10.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 89.8% of the time.
Census Count
10,460
people with this name
Census Rank
#2,393
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
3.46
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Kolby was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.13%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.17%) and Two or More Races (5.65%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Kolby in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Kolby.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 79.13% | 8,283 |
| Black | 8.17% | 855 |
| Two or More Races | 5.65% | 591 |
| Hispanic | 4.27% | 447 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.40% | 147 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.38% | 144 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Kolby: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Kolby span from the 1960s to the 2020s, covering 7 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 5,054 babies were registered. Kolby has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Kolby by Decade
How has Kolby 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.
Kolby by State
Birth registrations for Kolby span all 46 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Utah. The lowest are in Nevada, New Jersey, South Dakota. On average, about 201 Kolbys were registered per state.
Kolby + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Kolby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Kolby
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
Kolby: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kolby?
We estimate approximately 12,578 people named Kolby 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 27,250 Americans share this first name.
Is Kolby a common name?
Kolby is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 12,792 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Kolby most popular?
Kolby reached peak popularity in 2001, when 781 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Kolby is approximately 22 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Kolby in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 10,460 people with the first name Kolby. That placed it at #2,393 in the published Census first-name tables, or 3.46 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Kolby was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kolby?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Kolby was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 89.8% male and 10.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kolby?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Kolby was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (79.13%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.17%) and Two or More Races (5.65%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Kolby a male name?
Kolby is predominantly male. 89.8% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Kolby have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Kolby peaked in 2001, and the average living bearer is about 22 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Kolby Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Kolby Smith, Kolby Johnson, Kolby 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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