Given name & surname
Kolbe
Kolbe is a surname from German. It is used in English and Polish.
Meaning & origin
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1989. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kolbe through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,892
- 1,825 boys · 67 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 110 babies
- 2025
- 89
- #1,939 for boys · #10,526 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +37%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 80 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,939 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 37.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 102 in 2001. It also appeared in 9 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,437 as a first name in 2020; 1,809 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.
Kolbe’s family of names
In English usage, Kolbe as a surname has a related form in KOLB.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Kolbe, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kolby
“a dark-haired man”
84% boys · 16% girls
Kohl
“cabbage”
>99% boys
Kush
Kush is a surname from German.
>99% boys
Kail
“a mighty warrior”
>99% boys
Zahn
Zahn is a surname from German, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European.
>99% boys
Schaefer
Schaefer is a surname from German, ultimately from Old High German.
>99% boys
Kray
“crow”
>99% boys
Kahlo
Kahlo is a surname from German.
91% boys · 9% girls