Boy · #348 in 2026

Colin

Name: Popularity of the name Colin in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Colin, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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.

Current Rank

#348

Peak Rank

#85 (2004)

Total Babies

135K

5-Yr Trend

-26%

1960

First Year

2021

Last Year

2004

Peak Year

#5062

Peak Rank

445

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Colin

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Colin

Colin first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2004, when 5,122 Colins were born — ranking #85 that year. As of 2026, Colin ranks #348 for baby boys with 979 births, falling sharply (-26%). In total, more than 135K Colins have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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

What does the name Colin mean?

How popular is Colin in 2026?

In 2026, Colin ranks #348 among boys' names in the U.S., with 979 babies given the name that year.

When was Colin most popular?

Colin reached its peak popularity in 2004, ranking #85 that year with 5,122 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Colin most popular?

Colin has historically been most popular in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Colin.

Is Colin a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Colin is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Colin?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Colin include Dalton, Willis, Dan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.