Kolbe is a German surname, from the Middle High German kolbe, a "club" or "mace", used as a given name in honor of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish friar who gave his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz in 1941. Among American Catholics it is a quiet tribute name that also sounds like the familiar Colby. Kolbe ranked number 1695 in 2000, peaked at number 1296 in 2001 and stands at number 1939 in 2025.