Recorded 1880–2023 Boys' name Peak 1922 7,517 births

Columbus — boys' name

7,517 babies named Columbus in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s5131890s4111900s3971910s11011920s15261930s10311940s8661950s6791960s3601970s2481980s1591990s1032000s692010s492020s5
1920s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Columbus was born in this single decade.

1922
Single peak year

187 babies were named Columbus in 1922 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Columbus

The Social Security Administration has registered 7,517 babies named Columbus between 1880 and 2023, spanning 144 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Columbus currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 2023. The name reached its historical peak in 1922, when 187 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Columbus performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 1,526 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Columbus shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 601 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Georgia and Alabama. In total, SSA state-level files list Columbus in 17 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Columbus in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 7,517 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Columbus at a glance

Last recorded 2023

Total births

7,517

Since 1880

144 years of records

Peak year

1922

187 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 2023

Active since

1880

Recorded for 144 years

Last year on file: 2023

Columbus popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2023–1880

Last recorded 2023
Peak year (1922)
187
Annual births at peak — across 144 years of records
-50050100150200 202319981980196219441926190818901880 64

Columbus by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
1,526 births that decade — 20% of Columbus's all-time total
1880s5131890s4111900s3971910s11011920s15261930s10311940s8661950s6791960s3601970s2481980s1591990s1032000s692010s492020s5

Columbus by state

Where Columbus concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Columbus
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
601 8.0%
#2 Georgia
568 7.6%
#3 Alabama
506 6.7%
#4 Mississippi
477 6.3%
#5 South Carolina
344 4.6%
#6 Arkansas
330 4.4%
#7 Louisiana
283 3.8%
#8 Texas
267 3.6%
North Carolina share of Columbus's total US births 8.0%
Even split

601 of 7,517 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 17 reporting states.

Columbus appears in 17 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Columbus?
7,517 babies have been named Columbus since 1880. It was last recorded in 2023. The peak year was 1922 with 187 births.
When was Columbus most popular?
Columbus was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,526 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Columbus most popular?
The top states for the name Columbus are North Carolina (601 births), Georgia (568 births), Alabama (506 births).
How long has the name Columbus been used?
Columbus has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 144 years of data through 2023.
What names are similar to Columbus?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cole, Colton, Colin, Collin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Columbus

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.