How to say it
COL · ter
/ˈkoʊl.tɚ/
Masculine
Colter
Colt herder
What it means
English occupational surname for someone who tended young horses (Old English colt + the agent-suffix -er). John Colter the American mountain man (1774-1812) was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the first known European-American to enter what is now Yellowstone.
Colter is an English occupational surname from the Old English colt (a young horse, foal) plus the agent-suffix -er, meaning a 'colt herder' or someone who tended young horses. The surname has been documented since the 14th century. John Colter (c. 1774-1813), the American mountain man and fur trapper who was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) and the first known European-American to enter what is now Yellowstone National Park (1807-1808), gives the surname its strongest American historical anchor. As a US first name Colter is American and modern, basically post-2010 with strong Western flavor. It entered the US top 1000 in 2014. Common short: Cole.
Popularity over time
peaked at #157 in 2025, currently #157 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
John Colter (Lewis and Clark expedition member, first European-American in Yellowstone) anchors the historical Western feel; the modern first-name use is post-2010.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- John Colter American mountain man, Lewis and Clark expedition member, c. 1774-1813
Spelling variants
- Coulter
- Coalter
Names with the same feeling
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