Collin

Collin is a variant spelling of the Gaelic name Colin. In Scotland, Colin comes 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). The name Colin is also considered a pet form of Nicholas. Hundreds of years ago in England, nicknames were formed by adding “-kin” or “-in” to the end of a syllable from the name. Examples of this are “Robin” (Rob-in) from Robert, “Hank” (Hen-kin) from Henry, “Jack” (Jan-kin) from John and, of course, Colin (Col-in) from NiCOLas. The name Nicholas is from the Greek meaning ‘victorious people.’ Collin (with two “L”s) is mainly used in the United States.