Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Colin

In England, the name Colin originated as a pet form of the name Nicholas. In Scotland, however, the name comes from its own source; from the Gaelic “caileán” which means ‘cub’ or ‘young one’. It could also be derived from the word “coll” meaning ‘high, chieftain’. In any case, the name was used by the Scottish clan the Campbells, borne by their original ancestor, Sir Colin Campbell (also known as Colin the Great). Colin is thought to be the cousin of Robert the Bruce (King Robert I of Scotland), and he fought during the Wars of Scottish Independence in medieval times. He was considered a principal baron of Argyll, where future Dukes and Earls would claim descent from him by styling themselves “Mac Cailean Mór” (son of Colin).

All About the Baby Name – Colin

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME COLIN

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME COLIN

The name Colin has been around for 100 years in America, but took almost that long to do anything meaningful on the popularity charts. The name has increased in usage, to be sure, but quite slowly. It has mainly achieved moderate popularity at best until the 1990s. Colin managed to scrap his way onto the Top 100 list of most favored boy’s names in 2003, but it dropped back off before you could blink. We’re pretty certain the actor Colin Farrell influenced the name briefly as he was releasing some big blockbusters during that time in the early 2000s. Nonetheless, Colin is at the top of its game right now, even if it’s reached a plateau. The name is distinctly Scottish, but also Irish and English in essence. Its etymology (young cub) lends itself nicely to all the baby boys out there, and its other origin (high chieftain) provides an aspiring goal for him later in life. But no pressure.

Quick Facts

ON COLIN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Celtic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

124

PRONUNCIATION:

KOH-lin

SIMPLE MEANING:

Cub, young one

Characteristics

OF COLIN

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Colin

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME COLIN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Colin

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME COLIN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Colin


Popular Songs

ON COLIN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Colin


Famous People

NAMED COLIN

Colin Campbell Cooper (American impressionist)
Colin Farrell (Irish actor)
Colin Firth (British actor)
Colin Greenwood (bassist for Radiohead)
Colin Hanks (actor)
Colin Mochrie (Scottish improvisational comedian)
Colin Montgomerie (Scottish golfer)
Colin Powell (former U.S. Secretary of State)
Colin Quinn (comic)

Children of Famous People

NAMED COLIN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Colin

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME COLIN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Colin