Kolsen is a modern American variant of Colson, an English surname meaning "son of Cole" or "son of Nicholas"; Nicholas goes back to the Greek for "victory of the people". The K spelling and the -sen ending echo Kolten and Jensen, two sounds parents currently favor. Kolsen had fewer than five births a year in 2000, stood at number 3834 in 2015, reached number 1266 in 2024 and ranks number 1304 in 2025.