Colin
Colin is an English-language masculine given name. It has two distinct origins:A diminutive form of "Colle", itself an Old French short form of the name Nicolas. This name, but not the anglicized Gaelic name, is also found in the spelling Collin.
- Scottish
- English
Meaning & Origin of Colin
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Colin is an English-language masculine given name. It has two distinct origins:A diminutive form of "Colle", itself an Old French short form of the name Nicolas. This name, but not the anglicized Gaelic name, is also found in the spelling Collin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Scottish
- English
The Story of Colin
The earliest SSA record of Colin as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 6 babies received it. 2004 was its biggest year on record, with 5,122 newborns named Colin — #85 in the national rankings. About 29% of every Colin on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Colin ranks #348 for baby boys with 979 births, falling sharply (-26%). All told, over 135K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Colin
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Colin. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Colin
Phonetically similar names — useful when Colin is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Colin
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About the name Colin
Colin is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 135K births in the dataset. Colin's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #85. Use the chart and map above to compare Colin's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2004 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.