boys' name ★ peaked 2001

Kolbe

Gender Boy · 4% girls Rank 2025 #1,939 Trend ↑ Rising 46%
Rank 2025
#1,939
among boys · ↓10 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Kolbe · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 21,351
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2001
110 babies
All-time total
1,892
#3,494 all-time among boys
First recorded
1989
in Social Security records

Kolbe popularity over time

1,892 babies have been named Kolbe since 1989, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – 8 8 1 – #5,956
1990s 5 224 229 23 +2762% #1,838
2000s 13 611 624 62 +172% #1,296
2010s 27 546 573 57 -8% #2,063
2020s (to 2025) 22 436 458 76 +33% #1,871

Where Kolbe 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 85 0.05 outside top 500
2027 90 0.05 outside top 500
2028 94 0.05 outside top 500
2029 97 0.06 outside top 500
2030 100 0.06 outside top 500

Where Kolbe is most popular

Boys named Kolbe per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.044 per 1,000. Strongest in Kansas, Minnesota, and Ohio.

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 Kolbe 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
Kansas 10 0.146 +234%
Minnesota 10 0.082 +87%
Ohio 18 0.068 +56%
Michigan 11 0.054 +23%
Texas 47 0.053 +22%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 ≈ national
Virginia 8 0.042 ≈ national
Colorado 5 0.039 -11%
Indiana 5 0.031 -29%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -57%
California 10 0.011 -75%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
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 Kolbe

Kolbe is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,939 in 2025 with 80 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1989, 1,892 American babies have been named Kolbe. Its peak came in 2001, when 110 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 Kolbe stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kolbe?

The median living Kolbe is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 23. An estimated 1,900 people named Kolbe are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

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

Kolbe year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 9 #10,526 80 #1,939
2024 – – 82 #1,929
2023 – – 85 #1,871
2022 – – 67 #2,181
2021 8 #11,684 63 #2,242
2020 5 #16,410 59 #2,310
2019 – – 65 #2,182
2018 – – 52 #2,492
2017 8 #12,241 46 #2,697
2016 – – 52 #2,455
2015 – – 69 #2,063
2014 5 #17,964 61 #2,221
2013 7 #13,959 49 #2,505
2012 – – 50 #2,507
2011 7 #14,119 43 #2,775
2010 – – 59 #2,226
2009 – – 56 #2,336
2008 – – 45 #2,739
2007 – – 57 #2,291
2006 – – 38 #2,955
2005 – – 35 #2,991
2004 – – 52 #2,226
2003 5 #17,144 78 #1,623
2002 – – 80 #1,551
2001 8 #11,558 102 #1,296
2000 – – 68 #1,695
1995 – – 13 #4,674
1990 – – 10 #5,212
1985 – – – –
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 Kolbe, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kolbe?

The median living Kolbe is about 14 years old. Half of all living Kolbes are between 6 and 23 years old.

How many people named Kolbe are alive today?

An estimated 1,900 people named Kolbe are alive in the United States, based on 1,892 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kolbe in 2025?

Kolbe ranked #1,939 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 80 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kolbe?

1,892 babies have been named Kolbe in the United States since 1989, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kolbe most popular?

Kolbe peaked in 2001, when 110 newborns received the name.

Is Kolbe a boy or girl name?

Kolbe is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 96% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kolbe rising or falling?

Kolbe is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kolbe become more popular?

Kolbe is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 100 boys named Kolbe in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kolbe

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

Compare Kolbe with similar names → More names starting with K →