diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/filters/drop/column.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/filters/drop/column.rs
index 9cc530223b..f1496900f1 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/filters/drop/column.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/filters/drop/column.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 use nu_engine::CallExt;
-use nu_protocol::ast::{Call, CellPath};
+use nu_protocol::ast::Call;
 use nu_protocol::engine::{Command, EngineState, Stack};
 use nu_protocol::{
-    record, Category, Example, FromValue, IntoInterruptiblePipelineData, IntoPipelineData,
-    PipelineData, Record, ShellError, Signature, Span, SyntaxShape, Type, Value,
+    record, Category, Example, IntoInterruptiblePipelineData, IntoPipelineData, PipelineData,
+    ShellError, Signature, Span, Spanned, SyntaxShape, Type, Value,
 };
 
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct DropColumn;
 
@@ -16,7 +18,10 @@ impl Command for DropColumn {
 
     fn signature(&self) -> Signature {
         Signature::build(self.name())
-            .input_output_types(vec![(Type::Table(vec![]), Type::Table(vec![]))])
+            .input_output_types(vec![
+                (Type::Table(vec![]), Type::Table(vec![])),
+                (Type::Record(vec![]), Type::Record(vec![])),
+            ])
             .optional(
                 "columns",
                 SyntaxShape::Int,
@@ -41,148 +46,142 @@ impl Command for DropColumn {
         input: PipelineData,
     ) -> Result<PipelineData, ShellError> {
         // the number of columns to drop
-        let columns: Option<i64> = call.opt(engine_state, stack, 0)?;
-        let span = call.head;
+        let columns: Option<Spanned<i64>> = call.opt(engine_state, stack, 0)?;
 
-        let columns_to_drop = if let Some(quantity) = columns {
-            quantity
+        let columns = if let Some(columns) = columns {
+            if columns.item < 0 {
+                return Err(ShellError::NeedsPositiveValue(columns.span));
+            } else {
+                columns.item as usize
+            }
         } else {
             1
         };
 
-        // Make columns to drop is positive
-        if columns_to_drop < 0 {
-            if let Some(expr) = call.positional_nth(0) {
-                return Err(ShellError::NeedsPositiveValue(expr.span));
-            }
-        }
-
-        dropcol(engine_state, span, input, columns_to_drop)
+        drop_cols(engine_state, input, call.head, columns)
     }
 
     fn examples(&self) -> Vec<Example> {
-        vec![Example {
-            description: "Remove the last column of a table",
-            example: "[[lib, extension]; [nu-lib, rs] [nu-core, rb]] | drop column",
-            result: Some(Value::list(
-                vec![
-                    Value::test_record(record!("lib" =>Value::test_string("nu-lib"))),
-                    Value::test_record(record!("lib" =>Value::test_string("nu-core"))),
-                ],
-                Span::test_data(),
-            )),
-        }]
+        vec![
+            Example {
+                description: "Remove the last column of a table",
+                example: "[[lib, extension]; [nu-lib, rs] [nu-core, rb]] | drop column",
+                result: Some(Value::test_list(vec![
+                    Value::test_record(record! { "lib" => Value::test_string("nu-lib") }),
+                    Value::test_record(record! { "lib" => Value::test_string("nu-core") }),
+                ])),
+            },
+            Example {
+                description: "Remove the last column of a record",
+                example: "{lib: nu-lib, extension: rs} | drop column",
+                result: Some(Value::test_record(
+                    record! { "lib" => Value::test_string("nu-lib") },
+                )),
+            },
+        ]
     }
 }
 
-fn dropcol(
+fn drop_cols(
     engine_state: &EngineState,
-    span: Span,
     input: PipelineData,
-    columns: i64, // the number of columns to drop
+    head: Span,
+    columns: usize,
 ) -> Result<PipelineData, ShellError> {
-    let mut keep_columns = vec![];
-
+    // For simplicity and performance, we use the first row's columns
+    // as the columns for the whole table, and assume that later rows/records
+    // have these same columns. However, this can give weird results like:
+    // `[{a: 1}, {b: 2}] | drop column`
+    // This will drop the column "a" instead of "b" even though column "b"
+    // is displayed farther to the right.
     match input {
-        PipelineData::ListStream(stream, ..) => {
-            let mut output = vec![];
+        PipelineData::ListStream(mut stream, ..) => {
+            if let Some(mut first) = stream.next() {
+                let drop_cols = drop_cols_set(&mut first, head, columns)?;
 
-            let v: Vec<_> = stream.into_iter().collect();
-            let input_cols = get_input_cols(v.clone());
-            let kc = get_keep_columns(input_cols, columns);
-            keep_columns = get_cellpath_columns(kc, span);
-
-            for input_val in v {
-                let mut record = Record::new();
-
-                for path in &keep_columns {
-                    let fetcher = input_val.clone().follow_cell_path(&path.members, false)?;
-                    record.push(path.into_string(), fetcher);
-                }
-                output.push(Value::record(record, span))
-            }
-
-            Ok(output
-                .into_iter()
-                .into_pipeline_data(engine_state.ctrlc.clone()))
-        }
-        PipelineData::Value(v, ..) => {
-            let val_span = v.span();
-            if let Value::List {
-                vals: input_vals, ..
-            } = v
-            {
-                let mut output = vec![];
-                let input_cols = get_input_cols(input_vals.clone());
-                let kc = get_keep_columns(input_cols, columns);
-                keep_columns = get_cellpath_columns(kc, val_span);
-
-                for input_val in input_vals {
-                    let mut record = Record::new();
-
-                    for path in &keep_columns {
-                        let fetcher = input_val.clone().follow_cell_path(&path.members, false)?;
-                        record.push(path.into_string(), fetcher);
-                    }
-                    output.push(Value::record(record, val_span))
-                }
-
-                Ok(output
-                    .into_iter()
+                Ok(std::iter::once(first)
+                    .chain(stream.map(move |mut v| {
+                        match drop_record_cols(&mut v, head, &drop_cols) {
+                            Ok(()) => v,
+                            Err(e) => Value::error(e, head),
+                        }
+                    }))
                     .into_pipeline_data(engine_state.ctrlc.clone()))
             } else {
-                let mut record = Record::new();
-
-                for cell_path in &keep_columns {
-                    let result = v.clone().follow_cell_path(&cell_path.members, false)?;
-                    record.push(cell_path.into_string(), result);
-                }
-
-                Ok(Value::record(record, span).into_pipeline_data())
+                Ok(PipelineData::Empty)
             }
         }
-        x => Ok(x),
+        PipelineData::Value(v, ..) => {
+            let span = v.span();
+            match v {
+                Value::List { mut vals, .. } => {
+                    if let Some((first, rest)) = vals.split_first_mut() {
+                        let drop_cols = drop_cols_set(first, head, columns)?;
+                        for val in rest {
+                            drop_record_cols(val, head, &drop_cols)?
+                        }
+                    }
+                    Ok(Value::list(vals, span).into_pipeline_data())
+                }
+                Value::Record {
+                    val: mut record, ..
+                } => {
+                    let len = record.len().saturating_sub(columns);
+                    record.truncate(len);
+                    Ok(Value::record(record, span).into_pipeline_data())
+                }
+                // Propagate errors
+                Value::Error { error, .. } => Err(*error),
+                val => Err(unsupported_value_error(&val, head)),
+            }
+        }
+        PipelineData::Empty => Ok(PipelineData::Empty),
+        PipelineData::ExternalStream { span, .. } => Err(ShellError::OnlySupportsThisInputType {
+            exp_input_type: "table or record".into(),
+            wrong_type: "raw data".into(),
+            dst_span: head,
+            src_span: span,
+        }),
     }
 }
 
-fn get_input_cols(input: Vec<Value>) -> Vec<String> {
-    let rec = input.first();
-    match rec {
-        Some(Value::Record { val, .. }) => val.cols.to_vec(),
-        _ => vec!["".to_string()],
+fn drop_cols_set(val: &mut Value, head: Span, drop: usize) -> Result<HashSet<String>, ShellError> {
+    if let Value::Record { val: record, .. } = val {
+        let len = record.len().saturating_sub(drop);
+        Ok(record.drain(len..).map(|(col, _)| col).collect())
+    } else {
+        Err(unsupported_value_error(val, head))
     }
 }
 
-fn get_cellpath_columns(keep_cols: Vec<String>, span: Span) -> Vec<CellPath> {
-    let mut output = vec![];
-    for keep_col in keep_cols {
-        let val = Value::string(keep_col, span);
-        let cell_path = match CellPath::from_value(val) {
-            Ok(v) => v,
-            Err(_) => return vec![],
-        };
-        output.push(cell_path);
+fn drop_record_cols(
+    val: &mut Value,
+    head: Span,
+    drop_cols: &HashSet<String>,
+) -> Result<(), ShellError> {
+    if let Value::Record { val, .. } = val {
+        val.retain(|col, _| !drop_cols.contains(col));
+        Ok(())
+    } else {
+        Err(unsupported_value_error(val, head))
     }
-    output
 }
 
-fn get_keep_columns(input: Vec<String>, mut num_of_columns_to_drop: i64) -> Vec<String> {
-    let vlen: i64 = input.len() as i64;
-
-    if num_of_columns_to_drop > vlen {
-        num_of_columns_to_drop = vlen;
+fn unsupported_value_error(val: &Value, head: Span) -> ShellError {
+    ShellError::OnlySupportsThisInputType {
+        exp_input_type: "table or record".into(),
+        wrong_type: val.get_type().to_string(),
+        dst_span: head,
+        src_span: val.span(),
     }
-
-    let num_of_columns_to_keep = (vlen - num_of_columns_to_drop) as usize;
-    input[0..num_of_columns_to_keep].to_vec()
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
+    use super::*;
+
     #[test]
     fn test_examples() {
-        use super::DropColumn;
-        use crate::test_examples;
-        test_examples(DropColumn {})
+        crate::test_examples(DropColumn)
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/drop.rs b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/drop.rs
index ecba9177d2..2f7fb9eaaa 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/drop.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/drop.rs
@@ -93,3 +93,45 @@ fn fail_on_non_iterator() {
 
     assert!(actual.err.contains("command doesn't support"));
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn disjoint_columns_first_row_becomes_empty() {
+    let actual = nu!(pipeline(
+        "
+            [{a: 1}, {b: 2, c: 3}]
+            | drop column
+            | columns
+            | to nuon
+        "
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "[b, c]");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn disjoint_columns() {
+    let actual = nu!(pipeline(
+        "
+            [{a: 1, b: 2}, {c: 3}]
+            | drop column
+            | columns
+            | to nuon
+        "
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "[a, c]");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn record() {
+    let actual = nu!("{a: 1, b: 2} | drop column | to nuon");
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "{a: 1}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn more_columns_than_record_has() {
+    let actual = nu!("{a: 1, b: 2} | drop column 3 | to nuon");
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "{}");
+}