Colton
Meaning of Colton
Colton is an English surname turned given name, taken from one or more places in England called Colton. Standard name dictionaries generally explain the place name as Old English col, meaning coal, plus tun, meaning settlement or town, so the usual meaning is coal town. Some trace the first element to the personal name Cola, making it Cola's settlement, and the origin is not entirely settled. The name is pronounced KOL-tun (/'koʊltən/).
The best-known bearers include the American actor Colton Haynes, who played Jackson Whittemore on Teen Wolf and Roy Harper on Arrow, and Colton Underwood, a former professional football player and television personality who led The Bachelor and was the franchise's first lead to come out as gay.
In the United States, Colton was uncommon for much of the 20th century, then climbed sharply. It rose from No. 494 in 1987 to No. 139 in 1990 and entered the Top 100 in 2008. It peaked at No. 59 in 2019, when 5,739 babies received the name. By 2025 it ranked No. 103, with 3,420 babies.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as KOL-tun (/'koʊltən/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Colton
| Colton Underwood - Colton Scott Brown-Underwood is an American reality TV personality and former professional football player who played at Illinois State, had stints with the Chargers, Raiders, and Eagles, then went from The Bachelorette to leading The Bachelor as the franchise's first lead to come out as gay. |
| Colton Lee Haynes is an American actor and model best known for playing Jackson Whittemore on Teen Wolf and Roy Harper, also called Arsenal, on Arrow. |
| Colton Flasch is a Canadian curler based in Saskatoon who plays third for Team Mike McEwen. |
| Colton Cowser, nicknamed the Milkman, is an MLB outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles who played college baseball at Sam Houston State. |
| Colton Zimring Gordon is an American pitcher for the Houston Astros who played at Hillsborough Community College and UCF, was an eighth round pick in 2021, debuted in 2025, and pitched for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. |
| Colton Welker is an American third baseman and current free agent who was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round in 2016 and debuted for them in 2021. |
| Colton Schmidt is an American former NFL punter who played for the Buffalo Bills from 2014 to 2018, after playing at UC Davis and signing with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2013. |
| Colton Davis Dowell is an American wide receiver from UT Martin drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round in 2023. |
