# Colin (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/colin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑlɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Col |
| Variant spellings | Collen, Collin |
| US babies named this | 134,151 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 133,706 / 445 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,329, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

(given name): * Coll + -in. Diminutive of Coll, a medieval short form of Nicholas. * It has also been used to anglicize Irish Coileán and Scottish Gaelic Cailean.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 10 | 8,494 |
| 1998 | 7 | 11,383 |
| 1999 | 6 | 13,034 |
| 2000 | 8 | 10,956 |
| 2001 | 10 | 9,531 |
| 2003 | 7 | 12,695 |
| 2004 | 25 | 5,096 |
| 2005 | 8 | 12,073 |
| 2006 | 5 | 17,728 |
| 2007 | 6 | 15,930 |
| 2011 | 7 | 13,682 |
| 2014 | 5 | 17,148 |
| 2015 | 5 | 17,030 |
| 2020 | 5 | 15,643 |
| 2021 | 5 | 15,766 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,265 | 121 |
| 2012 | 3,022 | 124 |
| 2013 | 3,041 | 125 |
| 2014 | 2,883 | 142 |
| 2015 | 2,424 | 172 |
| 2016 | 2,052 | 198 |
| 2017 | 1,666 | 228 |
| 2018 | 1,479 | 249 |
| 2019 | 1,394 | 260 |
| 2020 | 1,177 | 287 |
| 2021 | 1,289 | 269 |
| 2022 | 1,170 | 293 |
| 2023 | 1,004 | 334 |
| 2024 | 1,038 | 335 |
| 2025 | 950 | 343 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 43 | 732 |
| 2012 | 43 | 754 |
| 2013 | 35 | 850 |
| 2014 | 48 | 684 |
| 2015 | 38 | 821 |
| 2016 | 45 | 748 |
| 2017 | 37 | 848 |
| 2018 | 23 | 1,158 |
| 2019 | 30 | 952 |
| 2020 | 27 | 1,019 |
| 2021 | 34 | 888 |
| 2022 | 25 | 1,104 |
| 2023 | 15 | 1,610 |
| 2024 | 30 | 1,000 |
| 2025 | 17 | 1,538 |

## People named Colin

- Colin Powell, American general and diplomat (1937–2021)
- Colin Firth, English actor and producer
- Colin Hanks, American actor (born 1977)
- Colin Greenwood, Bass player for rock band Radiohead.Bass player for Nick Cave and the Bad Seed.
- Colin Kaepernick, American football player (born 1987)
- Colin Dexter, British writer (1930-2017)
- Colin Chapman, English design engineer (1928–1982)
- Colin Bell, English professional footballer (1946–2021)
- Colin Davis, British conductor (1927–2013)
- Colin Ford, American actor
- Colin Wilson, British writer and philosopher (1931–2013)
- Colin Jost, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.