Nameling

Colter

Gender
Boy
Say it
KOHL-ter
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#1,537 for boys
US rank, 2025
#157 for boys

New arrival

Colter is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “keeper of colts”. In 2025 it ranked 1,537th for boys in the UK (18 babies) and 157th for boys in the US (2,354 babies).

What does Colter mean?

English: English occupational surname

“keeper of colts”

John Colter, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, is thought to be the first European to see Yellowstone.

Is Colter a girl's or a boy's name?

Colter is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 boys in the UK and 2,354 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Colter in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,537among boys
Babies in 2025
18about 1 in 17,000 boys
Five-year trend
Newly popularnew in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 18 boys in the UK were named Colter, making it the 1,537th most popular name for boys.

Among boys in 2025, it was 1,465th in England and Wales.

2021Busiest: 18 in 20252025
Colter in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202518#1,537
20247#3,003
20231#6,556
20223#5,017
20211#6,364

How popular is Colter in the US?

Rank in 2025
#157among boys
Babies in 2025
2,354about 1 in 730 boys
Five-year trend
Rising fastup 750% in five years
Same name in a class
1.9%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 2,354 boys in the US were named Colter, making it the 157th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 972nd. It first appears in the records in 1971.

It has been given to more boys each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had the most boys named Colter of any year since it first appeared, in 1971.

Half of all the boys named Colter in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 2,865 boys in the US were given Colter or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #138, up from #157 for this spelling alone.

1971Busiest: 2,354 in 20252025
Colter in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
20252,354#157
20241,649#218
20231,035#321
2022720#430
2021438#629
2020221#972
2019221#968
2018151#1,228
2017144#1,264
2016131#1,356
2015142#1,266
2014163#1,158
2013140#1,253
2012150#1,195
2011150#1,178
2010131#1,309
2009164#1,125
2008140#1,240
2007124#1,350
2006119#1,360
2005102#1,441
2004109#1,341
2003103#1,334
2002101#1,312
200179#1,523
200082#1,483
199997#1,266
199890#1,319
199791#1,260
199692#1,215
1995105#1,104
199489#1,214
1993103#1,100
1992118#994
199198#1,097
199082#1,196
198972#1,276
198869#1,220
198775#1,105
198660#1,241
198565#1,157
198463#1,143
198356#1,222
198256#1,241
198134#1,694
198031#1,808
197925#2,048
197825#1,965
197720#2,270
197610#3,469
19750–
19740–
19735#5,099
19725#4,983
19716#4,373

Nicknames for Colter

Names like Colter

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Cooper Carter Hunter Parker River Asher Rowan Brody Archer Ronan Hudson Finn

Other spellings of Colter

Kolter Coulter

More English names

Lily Evelyn Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Ruby Hallie Hazel Harrison

Every English name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Colter: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/colter, updated 20 October 2026.