Colby

English

Etymology

From either the Old Norse personal name Koli or kol (“charcoal”) + býr (“settlement”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkəʊl.bi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkoʊl.bi/
• Rhymes: -iː
• Hyphenation: Col‧by

Proper noun

Colby (countable and uncountable, plural Colbys)

1. (uncountable) A placename:
   1. A village and civil parish in Eden district, Cumbria, England (OS grid ref NY6620).
   2. A village and civil parish in North Norfolk district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TG2231).
   3. A village in Arbory parish, Isle of Man (OS grid ref SC233702).
   4. A city, the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States.
   5. An unincorporated community in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States.
   6. A city in Clark County and Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States.
   7. A town in Clark County, Wisconsin, next to the city.
2. A habitational surname from Old Norse.
3. A male given name transferred from the surname.

Derived terms

• Colby cheese

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Colby is the 3204^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 11278 individuals. Colby is most common among White (93.16%) individuals.

Noun

Colby (countable and uncountable, plural Colbys or Colbies)

1. A soft, moist, mild American cheese similar to cheddar, made with a washed-curd process.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Colby”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 353.