Colby
Meaning of Colby
Colby—pronounced KOHL-bee—started out as an Old Norse place-name, built from “Koli” (a nickname for someone with dark hair, literally “coal”) and “by” (“farm” or “settlement”). Picture a lantern-lit homestead on a misty English coastline, and you’ve captured its roots. Fast-forward a millennium and Colby has traded Viking longboats for varsity jackets and guitar picks, becoming an all-American charmer with a wholesome, outdoorsy vibe. Parents first fell hard in the late ’90s, when the name cracked the U.S. Top 100, and while it’s drifted to the 500s today, that gentler ranking only boosts its “familiar yet unfussy” appeal. Pop culture lends extra sparkle—think Colby Jack cheese melting on a backyard burger, Colby College perched proudly in Maine, or NHL forward Colby Armstrong racing down the ice. Altogether, Colby feels like a friendly grin: easy to say, impossible to forget, and always ready for the next adventure.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as KOHL-bee (/koʋl.bi/)
British English
- Pronunced as KOL-bee (/kəul.bi/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Colby
| Colby Covington is an American UFC welterweight fighter, a former interim champion currently ranked tenth in the division. |
| American television personality Colby Donaldson, a Survivor runner-up and multi-season contestant, hosts History network shows and is set to return for Survivor's 50th season. |
| Colby O'Donis Colón is an American singer best known for his guest vocals on Lady Gaga's chart-topping hit "Just Dance." |
| Colby Keller is an American visual artist and pornographic actor who launched his career in 2004 with Sean Cody and has since appeared in various studios and projects like Zolushka and Capitol Hill. |
| Colby Williams is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC CSKA Moscow in the KHL. |
| Colby Howard - Colby A. Howard is an American professional stock car racer who last drove part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Tricon Garage in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra. |
| Colby Everette Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons, currently on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise after playing college basketball for Xavier. |
| Colby Gossett is an American professional football guard who played at Appalachian State and earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as a junior and senior. |
| Colby Wadman is an American professional punter for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL, having played college football at UC Davis. |
| Colby Minifie is an American actress best known for her role as Ashley Barrett in "The Boys," with recurring parts in "Jessica Jones" and "Fear the Walking Dead." |
| Colby Burnett made history as the first Jeopardy! contestant to win both the Teachers Tournament and the Tournament of Champions. |
| Colby James West is an American freestyle skier who began skiing at age 23 and became a three-time Winter X Games bronze medalist. |
| Robert Colby Ward is an American former MLB pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. |
| Colby Stevenson is an American freestyle skier. |
| Chicago drummer Colby Starck plays with Bobby Conn and Head of Femur, having started his career in the 1990s with Lincoln, Nebraska bands Roosevelt Franklin and Pablo's Triangle. |
