boys' name ★ peaked 2009

Colten

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy Rank 2025 #966 Trend ↓ Falling 27%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#966
among boys · ↓67 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
238
named Colten · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,177
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2009
757 babies
All-time total
16,358
#925 all-time among boys
First recorded
1978
in Social Security records

Colten popularity over time

16,358 babies have been named Colten since 1978, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2011Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 5 1 – #5,967
1980s 558 56 +11060% #618
1990s 3,736 374 +570% #468
2000s 4,934 493 +32% #395
2010s 5,528 553 +12% #386
2020s (to 2025) 1,597 266 -52% #755

Where Colten is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 226 0.13 outside top 500
2027 216 0.13 outside top 500
2028 208 0.12 outside top 500
2029 202 0.12 outside top 500
2030 196 0.11 outside top 500

Where Colten is most popular

Boys named Colten per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.148 per 1,000. Strongest in Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Colten born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Kentucky 43 0.428 +190%
Missouri 53 0.382 +159%
Michigan 77 0.376 +154%
Indiana 60 0.374 +153%
Alabama 39 0.357 +141%
Mississippi 19 0.334 +126%
West Virginia 10 0.306 +107%
Tennessee 50 0.277 +87%
South Carolina 28 0.271 +83%
Wisconsin 31 0.262 +77%
Ohio 62 0.234 +58%
Minnesota 27 0.220 +49%
Louisiana 22 0.215 +45%
Pennsylvania 49 0.185 +25%
North Carolina 46 0.180 +22%
Virginia 34 0.179 +21%
Idaho 6 0.147 ≈ national
Georgia 35 0.138 -7%
Arizona 21 0.128 -13%
Washington 20 0.122 -17%
Florida 56 0.118 -20%
Illinois 29 0.113 -23%
Maryland 11 0.092 -38%
Nevada 5 0.088 -41%
Texas 74 0.084 -43%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -47%
New York 34 0.079 -47%
California 65 0.071 -52%
Oklahoma 6 0.068 -54%
Oregon 5 0.066 -55%
Colorado 6 0.046 -69%
New Jersey 6 0.030 -80%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Colten

Colten is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #966 in 2025 with 238 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1978, 16,358 American babies have been named Colten. Its peak came in 2009, when 757 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Colten stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Colten?

The median living Colten is about 17 years old; half are between 11 and 26. An estimated 16 thousand people named Colten are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Colten year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 238 #966
2024 263 #899
2023 250 #923
2022 250 #923
2021 276 #852
2020 320 #755
2019 362 #694
2018 384 #658
2017 362 #687
2016 443 #608
2015 521 #550
2014 608 #474
2013 648 #443
2012 721 #407
2011 750 #386
2010 729 #390
2009 757 #395
2008 724 #410
2007 585 #465
2006 505 #513
2005 404 #577
2004 391 #577
2003 363 #594
2002 395 #564
2001 399 #541
2000 411 #531
1995 377 #522
1990 266 #618
1985 26 #2,126
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Colten, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Colten?

The median living Colten is about 17 years old. Half of all living Coltens are between 11 and 26 years old.

How many people named Colten are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Colten are alive in the United States, based on 16,358 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Colten mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Colten in 2025?

Colten ranked #966 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 238 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Colten?

16,358 babies have been named Colten in the United States since 1978, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Colten most popular?

Colten peaked in 2009, when 757 newborns received the name.

Is Colten a boy or girl name?

Colten is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Colten rising or falling?

Colten is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Colten become more popular?

Colten is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 196 boys named Colten in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Colten

Names that sound and feel close to Colten: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Colten with similar names → More names starting with C →