Given name & surname
Colt
“a young horse; from the coal town”
Colt is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a young horse; from the coal town.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a young horse; from the coal town.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Colt as a surname is a short form of Colton.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Colt through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,880
- 27,869 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 1,833 babies
- 2025
- 1,188
- #285 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,188 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 285 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,833 in 2019. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (132). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 18,214 as a first name in 2020; 1,372 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.
Colt’s family of names
In English usage, Colt as a surname is a short form of Colton. Colt has a related form in Colten. Colt has a related form in Colton.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Coltonvariant · English
- Coltenvariant
- Colstonvariant
- Coltynvariant
- Coltinvariant
- Coletonvariant
- Coltranevariant
- Coltanvariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Colt
- Colt McCoyAmerican football player (born 1986)
- Colt HynesAmerican baseball playerborn 1985
- Colt BrennanAmerican football player (1983-2021)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Colt, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Colter
“a horse herdsman”
>99% boys
King
“the royal ruler”
>99% boys
Knox
“from the rounded hill Kнохх, Knoks, Knocks”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kingston
“from the king's town”
>99% boys
Cooper
“one who makes barrels”
98% boys · 2% girls
Holden
“one who is willing and eager” · “from the hollow in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Lane
“one who takes the narrow path”
93% boys · 7% girls
Kylian
“a warrior woman; of the church” · “one who is small and fierce”
>99% boys