Given name & surname · also Germanic
Colbert
“cool, cold; calm”
Colbert is a masculine given name from Proto-Germanic, meaning “cool, cold; calm.”
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
From Proto-Germanic *kōlaz (“cool, cold; calm”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Colbert through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 839
- 839 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1931
- 19 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2012. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 19 in 1931. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 571 as a first name in 2020; 21,720 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Colbert’s family of names
Colbert has a related form in Colbart. Colbert has a related form in Colbirt. Colbert has a related form in Colburt.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Colvartvariant
- Colvyrtvariant
- Colvirtvariant
- Culbartvariant
- Culbyrtvariant
- Culbirtvariant
- Culburtvariant
- Colbartvariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Colbert
- Colbert ClarkAmerican film director (1898-1960)
- Colbert MarlotFrench footballerborn 1963
- Colbert I. KingAmerican writerborn 1939
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Colbert, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gilbert
“servant of St BRIDGET” · “of the bright promise”
>99% boys
Herbert
“an illustrious warrior”
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Carel
“a free man” · “a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
>99% boys
Wilbert
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Elbert
“a wellborn man” · “a bright man”
>99% boys
Hubert
“having a shining intellect”
>99% boys
Candelario
“refers to the feast of Candlemas”
>99% boys
Brevard
Brevard is a surname from French.
>99% boys