Let’s talk Colorado baby names!
It’s an interesting state. The 8th largest in terms of territory and 20th most populous US state, Colorado is big enough that we never overlook it. But it looms even larger in our imaginations, thanks to the state’s rugged beauty and well-established place in popular culture.
We think of Colorado as outdoorsy, but also just a little bit on the edge. Lux, too. We’ve gone from John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” in 1972 to Aspen Extreme in 1993. Ski resorts like Vail and Telluride continue to shape our image of the state, but so do tales of the old west. Long-running animated series South Park is set in Colorado. So was Community – again, there’s no Greendale.
The land-locked state in the American West features in 19th century America. Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 stagecoach stopover movie The Hateful Eight was filmed in the state.
Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch trace their origins to the state. Mining towns boomed in the 19th century. And even further back, the state’s history as a Spanish colony and a long history of Native American culture, notably the Ute people, shape the state, too.
There’s no question that the Top 100 lists show a hint of that Wild West history, but also a love of the natural world. Spanish language influence is also a factor, with about 20% of the state’s population identifying as Hispanic or Latino.
What’s the best Colorado baby name?
Read on for some contenders, plus the most popular choices in the state now.
COLORADO AS BABY NAME
Some state names are given names – Georgia, of course. Others have trended in more recent years, like Dakota.
Colorado is seldom heard as a given name – but not never.
In 1989, it was given to five boys, marking Colorado’s debut in the United States Social Security Administration data. (A name has to be given to at least five boys or five girls to be listed in the data; for privacy reasons, any name less common than that is recorded, but withheld from the public files.)
It’s continued to appear, in very small numbers, occasionally. As of 2024, fewer than five boys received the name.
What does Colorado mean?
It literally translates to “color red” in Spanish.
TOP TEN BOY NAMES IN COLORADO
10. JACK (#15 in the US)
9. WILLIAM (#10 in the US)
8. OWEN (#26 in the US)
7. JAMES (#5 in the US)
6. MATEO (#7 in the US)
5. THEODORE (#4 in the US)
4. HENRY (#6 in the US)
3. NOAH (#2 in the US)
2. OLIVER (#3 in the US)
1. LIAM (#1 in the US)
TOP 100 COLORADO BOY NAMES
- Liam
- Oliver
- Noah
- Henry
- Theodore
- Mateo
- James
- Owen
- William
- Jack
- Miles
- Ezra
- Benjamin
- Sebastian
- Asher
- Luca
- Lucas
- Elijah
- Levi
- Leo
- Cooper
- Samuel
- Elias
- Julian
- Jackson
- Wyatt
- Santiago
- Luke
- Ethan
- Isaac
- Dylan
- Daniel
- Hudson
- Nolan
- Wesley
- Alexander
- Brooks
- Thomas
- Joseph
- Rowan
- Everett
- Gabriel
- Carter
- Ezekiel
- Roman
- Grayson
- Logan
- August
- Caleb
- Charles
- John
- Angel
- David
- Michael
- Jacob
- Weston
- Ian
- Mason
- Aiden
- Thiago
- Matthew
- Emiliano*
- Enzo
- Maverick
- Nathan
- Anthony
- Beau
- Gael
- Bennett
- Adriel*
- Calvin*
- Micah
- Arlo*
- Isaiah
- Axel
- Kai
- Silas
- Theo
- Josiah
- Adrian
- Declan*
- Landon*
- Milo*
- Robert
- Joshua
- Walker
- Damian*
- Jonathan
- Lincoln
- Luka
- Archer*
- Arthur*
- Atlas*
- Callum*
- Christopher
- Andrew
- Dean*
- Graham*
- Jose
- Parker
* name does not appear in the current US Top 100
TOP TEN GIRL NAMES IN COLORADO
10. HAZEL (#19 in the US)
9. HARPER (#12 in the US)
8. EVELYN (#8 in the US)
7. ISABELLA (#7 in the US)
6. SOPHIA (#6 in the US)
5. MIA (#5 in the US)
4. AMELIA (#3 in the US)
3. EMMA (#2 in the US)
2. CHARLOTTE (#4 in the US)
1. OLIVIA (#1 in the US)
TOP 100 COLORADO GIRL NAMES
- Olivia
- Charlotte
- Emma
- Amelia
- Mia
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Evelyn
- Harper
- Hazel
- Lucy
- Sofia
- Eleanor
- Nora
- Ava
- Camila
- Elizabeth
- Violet
- Luna
- Lily
- Zoe
- Isla
- Penelope
- Avery
- Ellie
- Ivy
- Riley
- Mila
- Adeline
- Aria
- Abigail
- Scarlett
- Emily
- Chloe
- Grace
- Maya
- Gianna
- Juniper*
- Josephine
- Lainey
- Layla
- Lillian
- Eloise
- Eliana
- Hannah
- Emilia
- Madison
- Nova
- Delilah
- Ella
- Elena
- Leilani
- Quinn
- Maeve
- Eden
- Stella
- Sophie
- Aurora
- Clara
- Lyla
- Ruby
- Sadie
- Victoria
- Ailany*
- Alice
- Willow
- Madelyn
- Naomi
- Zoey
- Aspen*
- Sloane*
- June*
- Lucia
- Addison
- Emery
- Daisy
- Isabelle*
- Margot*
- Charlie*
- Everly
- Kennedy
- Liliana
- Maria
- Valentina
- Audrey
- Autumn
- Ayla
- Genesis
- Ember*
- Millie
- Samantha*
- Melody
- Cora*
- Emerson*
- Iris
- Madeline
- Margaret*
- Natalie
- Vivian
- Piper*
* name does not appear in the current US Top 100
DISTINCTIVE COLORADO PLACE NAMES
ASPEN
As in the tree name, and one of the most famous Colorado baby names.
AURORA
Popular for many reasons, but strongly associated with the state.
BENNETT
The mountains of Colorado inspire plenty of name options.
BLANCA
Another name drawn from a mountain peak.
BRECK, BRECKINRIDGE
Borrowed from the famous ski resort.
CARSON
Kit Carson left his mark across the American West.
CIMARRON
This name might be strongly associated with Oklahoma, but it’s a Colorado place name, too.
COLLINS
As in Fort Collins.
DENVER
The state capital started out as a surname. It means “Dane’s ford.”
HENRY
Classic boy’s name, shared with a mountain peak in Colorado.
JACKSON
A favorite across the US, but in Colorado, also a mountain peak possibility.
KELSO
YouTuber Dude Dad is parent to four children: Theo, Juno, Otto, and Kelso. Their youngest son is named for a local mountain.
LINCOLN
Inspired by another mountain.
MARCELLINA
One more mountain, this one with a particulary romantic name.
ROCKY
The state is strongly associated with the Rockies.
WINDOM
One more peak, popular with backpackers.
WOLF
Borrowed from the Wolf Creek ski area.
ZENOBIA
The name of the highest summit in Dinosaur National Monument.
NAMES FROM COLORADO HISTORY & SYMBOLS
LARK
The lark bunting is the official state bird.
SCARLETT, RORY, ROWAN
Names meaning red seem perfect for the Red Rocks and the state name.
SILVER
Inspired by the state’s history of silver mining.
FAMOUS COLORADANS
ANNIE
John Denver wrote “Annie’s Song” in just minutes while riding a ski lift in Aspen. It starts with the unforgettable line “You fill up my senses …” Annie Martell Denver was John’s first wife. While their marriage ended early in his career, the connection between the name and the state feels strong.
ARIELLE
Steamboat Springs native Arielle Gold is a snowboarding champion.
CALAIS
The NFL’s Calais Campbell put his unusual name on parent’s radar. Campell is from Denver. The French pronounce it cah-lay; the football player says it cah-lye-ess.
CHAUNCEY
Chauncey Billups spent most of his storied NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, but he’s from Denver.
DEMPSEY
As in the boxer Jack Dempsey, born in 1895 in the Colorado farming town of Manassa.
DENVER
Actor Denver Dell Pyle had a long career on television. He was born in Bethune, Colorado in 1920 – and yes, that’s his real name. It’s a good reminder that Denver’s predates the place name popularity trend by a lot. But there’s no question that place name Denver is most strongly associated with the singer John, named the official Poet Laureate of the state in 1977. His “Rocky Mountain High” is one of the state’s official songs.
GLENN
Big band conductor and composer Glenn Miller spent his teenage years in Colorado, eventually dropping out of the University of Colorado at Boulder to pursue music.
HATTIE
The first African American to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel, grew up in Fort Collins and Denver.
KALPANA
A significant number of astronauts have ties to the state. One is Kalpana Chawla, the first women of Indian origin to fly to space. Chawla lost her life in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.
LON
Legendary American actor Lon Chaney made his mark during the 1920s. His full name? Leonidas.
MARIE
During the 1910s, silent film’s very first child star was known as Baby Marie. Born in Denver, she was adopted and moved to California with her new family.
MOLLY
The Unsinkable Molly Brown survived the Titanic. Her real name was Margaret, and her ties to the state run deep. Avoca Lodge, the Denver home she and her husband used as a summer retreat, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
NEAL
Beat Generation writer Neal Cassady – the inspiration for Jack Kerouac’s Dean – grew up in Denver.
SPRING
Oscar-nominated actress Spring Byinton was born in Colorado Springs in 1886.
TREY (and MATT)
Trey Parker – born Randolph Severn Parker III – and Matt Stone met as students at the University of Colorado Boulder. They went on to create the pop culture sensation South Park.
TOMORY
As in contemporary artist Tomory Dodge.
My home state!
FYI, the name Colorado simply means “colored” or “colorful” in Spanish—no specificity as to it being red or any other hue.