Colonel
Colonel is a boy's name of English origin.
Meaning
Column of soldiers; officer commanding a regiment.
Origin and history
Colonel is a rare masculine given name derived from the military rank title. Historically used in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, it reflected the traditional practice of using honorific titles as first names. It has rarely been bestowed as a given name in contemporary times.
Popularity in the United States
1,250 babies in the United States have been named Colonel since 1880. It ranks #3448 all-time.
States where it is most popular
- NC (63.2 %)
- AL (22.4 %)
- KY (7.9 %)
- VA (6.6 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 105 |
| 1890-1900 | 81 |
| 1900-1910 | 42 |
| 1910-1920 | 212 |
| 1920-1930 | 274 |
| 1930-1940 | 164 |
| 1940-1950 | 158 |
| 1950-1960 | 110 |
| 1960-1970 | 65 |
| 1970-1980 | 21 |
| 1980-1990 | 18 |
| 1990-2000 | 0 |
| 2000-2010 | 0 |
| 2010-2019 | 0 |
| 2020-2029 | 0 |
Famous people named Colonel
- Colonel Sanders: Entrepreneur, Founder
Fun facts
- The word originally derives from the Italian 'colonnella' (column of soldiers) before passing through French into English.
- Using military rank titles like Colonel, Major, or Commodore as given names was a notable American naming trend in the 19th century.