diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/column.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/column.rs
index 4a9a96a8d7..3ed56a56ae 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/column.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/column.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ impl Command for SubCommand {
                 "The character or string that denotes what separates columns.",
             )
             .switch("collapse-empty", "remove empty columns", Some('c'))
+            .named(
+                "number",
+                SyntaxShape::Int,
+                "Split into maximum number of items",
+                Some('n'),
+            )
             .switch("regex", "separator is a regular expression", Some('r'))
             .rest(
                 "rest",
@@ -91,6 +97,20 @@ impl Command for SubCommand {
                     }),
                 ])),
             },
+            Example {
+                description: "Split into columns, last column may contain the delimiter",
+                example: r"['author: Salina Yoon' r#'title: Where's Ellie?: A Hide-and-Seek Book'#] | split column --number 2 ': ' key value",
+                result: Some(Value::test_list(vec![
+                    Value::test_record(record! {
+                        "key" => Value::test_string("author"),
+                        "value" => Value::test_string("Salina Yoon"),
+                    }),
+                    Value::test_record(record! {
+                        "key" => Value::test_string("title"),
+                        "value" => Value::test_string("Where's Ellie?: A Hide-and-Seek Book"),
+                    }),
+                ])),
+            },
         ]
     }
 
@@ -108,12 +128,14 @@ impl Command for SubCommand {
         let separator: Spanned<String> = call.req(engine_state, stack, 0)?;
         let rest: Vec<Spanned<String>> = call.rest(engine_state, stack, 1)?;
         let collapse_empty = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "collapse-empty")?;
+        let max_split: Option<usize> = call.get_flag(engine_state, stack, "number")?;
         let has_regex = call.has_flag(engine_state, stack, "regex")?;
 
         let args = Arguments {
             separator,
             rest,
             collapse_empty,
+            max_split,
             has_regex,
         };
         split_column(engine_state, call, input, args)
@@ -128,12 +150,14 @@ impl Command for SubCommand {
         let separator: Spanned<String> = call.req_const(working_set, 0)?;
         let rest: Vec<Spanned<String>> = call.rest_const(working_set, 1)?;
         let collapse_empty = call.has_flag_const(working_set, "collapse-empty")?;
+        let max_split: Option<usize> = call.get_flag_const(working_set, "number")?;
         let has_regex = call.has_flag_const(working_set, "regex")?;
 
         let args = Arguments {
             separator,
             rest,
             collapse_empty,
+            max_split,
             has_regex,
         };
         split_column(working_set.permanent(), call, input, args)
@@ -144,6 +168,7 @@ struct Arguments {
     separator: Spanned<String>,
     rest: Vec<Spanned<String>>,
     collapse_empty: bool,
+    max_split: Option<usize>,
     has_regex: bool,
 }
 
@@ -169,7 +194,16 @@ fn split_column(
     })?;
 
     input.flat_map(
-        move |x| split_column_helper(&x, &regex, &args.rest, args.collapse_empty, name_span),
+        move |x| {
+            split_column_helper(
+                &x,
+                &regex,
+                &args.rest,
+                args.collapse_empty,
+                args.max_split,
+                name_span,
+            )
+        },
         engine_state.signals(),
     )
 }
@@ -179,13 +213,20 @@ fn split_column_helper(
     separator: &Regex,
     rest: &[Spanned<String>],
     collapse_empty: bool,
+    max_split: Option<usize>,
     head: Span,
 ) -> Vec<Value> {
     if let Ok(s) = v.coerce_str() {
-        let split_result: Vec<_> = separator
-            .split(&s)
-            .filter(|x| !(collapse_empty && x.is_empty()))
-            .collect();
+        let split_result: Vec<_> = match max_split {
+            Some(max_split) => separator
+                .splitn(&s, max_split)
+                .filter(|x| !(collapse_empty && x.is_empty()))
+                .collect(),
+            None => separator
+                .split(&s)
+                .filter(|x| !(collapse_empty && x.is_empty()))
+                .collect(),
+        };
         let positional: Vec<_> = rest.iter().map(|f| f.item.clone()).collect();
 
         // If they didn't provide column names, make up our own
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/split_column.rs b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/split_column.rs
index 544c238cfa..5b40117990 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/split_column.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/tests/commands/split_column.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,19 @@ fn to_column() {
 
         assert!(actual.out.contains("shipper"));
 
+        let actual = nu!(
+            cwd: dirs.test(), pipeline(
+            r#"
+                open sample.txt
+                | lines
+                | str trim
+                | split column -n 3 ","
+                | get column3
+            "#
+        ));
+
+        assert!(actual.out.contains("tariff_item,name,origin"));
+
         let actual = nu!(
             cwd: dirs.test(), pipeline(
             r"