Fun Facts About the Name Colm
- 662 babies named Colm: U.S. records list 662 babies given the name Colm from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Colm Mean?
Colm is an Irish masculine name meaning "dove." It comes from Old Irish colm, a borrowing from Latin columba, also "dove." The Latin word is the source of the name Columba, and Colm is the Irish form used for that name. The name's literal meaning is the bird; the dove's later Christian association with peace or the Holy Spirit is a symbolic layer, not a separate etymology.
Colm Name History & Origins
Colm has been used in Ireland since the early Middle Ages as an Irish equivalent of Latin Columba. Its best-known bearer is Colm Cille (521 - 597), the Irish monk and missionary also known in Latin as Columba and in English as St Columba; the Irish name Colm Cille means "dove of the church," with Cille being the genitive of cell, "church." The derivative Colmán, formed with the diminutive suffix -án, was borne by many early Irish saints. From Ireland, Colm passed into English usage as a distinct Irish form rather than as a translation of Columba. It remains used in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities.
How Popular is the Name Colm?
Colm has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #2,826 in 1965.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,881 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,216 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #5,104 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2022 | #5,249 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #6,396 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #8,890 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #5,607 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #7,217 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #6,105 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #3,791 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2015 | #6,396 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #7,656 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #5,714 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #6,384 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #7,607 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #5,792 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #7,796 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #7,292 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #3,705 | 28 | 0.0013% |
| 2006 | #4,709 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #4,501 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #4,291 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #3,457 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2002 | #4,741 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #4,330 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #3,656 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #4,809 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #4,049 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #4,091 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #4,657 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #4,558 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #4,337 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #7,799 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #5,725 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #6,048 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #5,458 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #4,571 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #5,595 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #6,922 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,716 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #4,196 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #5,116 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #5,965 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #5,758 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #4,396 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #3,898 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #3,765 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,113 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #5,037 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #4,331 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,659 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1968 | #4,236 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #3,626 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,826 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,156 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Colm Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Colm's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Colm's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.