Collin
Collin was the 493rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 613 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 115th with 3,358 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Collin in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Nicholas (variant of Colin) · English, Greek
Say it KAH-lin /ˈkɑlɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #493 boys, down 28 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 613boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19963,358 babies
- Total since 1880
- 81,962babies recorded
What does the name Collin mean?
Collin is a spelling of Colin, a medieval pet form of Nicholas made from Coll and the ending -in, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES derives Nicholas from Greek nikē, "victory", and laos, "people", and records the English diminutives Colle and Colyn in 1379. Collin is also a surname, "son of Colin". It is used for boys in the US.
Coll (Middle English, “short form of Nicholas”)Νικόλαος (Ancient Greek, “victory of the people”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Colin, Collins, Nicholas, Cole.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Collin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nicholas', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Collin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 525 since 1962, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #493 | 613 |
| 2020 | #465 | 637 |
| 2010 | #148 | 2,647 |
| 2000 | #128 | 3,045 |
| 1990 | #240 | 1,169 |
| 1980 | #435 | 358 |
| 1970 | #676 | 148 |
| 1960 | #1,035 | 55 |
| 1950 | #1,010 | 48 |
| 1940 | #1,816 | 15 |
| 1930 | #2,325 | 12 |
| 1920 | #1,900 | 18 |
| 1910 | #1,457 | 6 |
| 1900 | #916 | 9 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Collin, counting every spelling?
Collin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #495 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #493 for Collin on its own. Together these spellings went to 613 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collin | 613 | #493 | 3,237 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Collin?
613 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Collin (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Collin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Collin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Collin?
About 78,500 people born in the US named Collin are alive today, with a median age of 24; half are between 17 and 31. That makes Collin mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Collin by state
How common Collin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arkansas (2.5×), Louisiana (2.3×), Kentucky (2.3×), Iowa (2.0×), Alabama (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, West Virginia, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Collin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Collin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Collin · Sibling names for Collin
Questions about the name Collin
What does Collin mean?
Collin means “pet form of Nicholas (variant of Colin)” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Collin?
Collin was the 493rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 613 babies. Its best year was 1996, when it ranked 115th with 3,358 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 232 places. More babies were named Collin in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Collin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Collin in the US.
Where is Collin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Collin was most common in Arkansas (0.95 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Kentucky.