Boys' name · peaked in 2004
Colin name popularity since 1925
133,579 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Colin. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Colin is about 25 years old in 2026. Colin peaked in 2004 as the #85 name for boys, and it ranked #343 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 133,579
- Named Colin, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #343
- for boys in 2025 (950 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 445 girls · 133,134 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 2.52× its national share
Peak year is the year Colin made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Colin births per year, 1925–2025
2004 was the biggest year for Colin both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Steepest fall: Between 1942 and 1947, Colin's share of baby boys fell by 62%, from 1 in 3,960 to 1 in 10,400.
- Fastest rise: Between 1960 and 1965, it became 1.8× more common, from 1 in 7,230 baby boys to 1 in 4,120.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Colin's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Colin.
Decade by decade
Babies named Colin in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 217 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 491 | #852 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,919 | #534 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,459 | #462 |
| 1960s | 22 | 4,162 | #360 |
| 1970s | 71 | 7,484 | #273 |
| 1980s | 150 | 17,672 | #156 |
| 1990s | 106 | 28,258 | #134 |
| 2000s | 69 | 39,129 | #95 |
| 2010s | 17 | 24,715 | #172 |
| 2020–25 | 10 | 6,628 | #343 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
43.6% of babies named Colin from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Colin is most popular
The index compares Colin's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Colin.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 2.52× | 1,043 |
| Massachusetts | 2.06× | 6,444 |
| Connecticut | 2.00× | 2,850 |
| Vermont | 1.93× | 423 |
| Delaware | 1.74× | 474 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Colin and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Colin (this page) | 133,134 | 2004 |
| Collin | 81,202 | 1996 |
| Kolin | 1,945 | 2003 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Colin's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Colin.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Colin (2004).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data