Collen
A unisex name of Irish origin meaning "young, youthful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,069 living Americans carry the first name Collen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Collen today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Collen births was 1996 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Collen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Collen was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
- • Collen sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 320,631 Americans
Peak year
1996
37 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,935
Tracked since 1918
Gender
Gender distribution for Collen
Collen is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,173 total registrations, 661 (56.4%) were male and 512 (43.6%) were female.
Collen as a male name
- Ranked #9,935 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1997 (33 births)
Collen as a female name
- Ranked #16,311 in 2003
- 5 female births in 2003
- Peak: 1967 (20 births)
Popularity
Collen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Collen from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 252 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Collen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Collen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Collens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Ohio, Illinois, California recorded the most babies named Collen, while California, Illinois, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Collen
The given name Collen has its origins in the Celtic and Gaelic languages, with roots that can be traced back to ancient Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Old Irish word "collan," which means "little puppy" or "little whelp." This term was likely used as a term of endearment or a nickname for children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Collen can be found in the 6th century AD, when it was mentioned in the ancient Welsh text known as the "Mabinogion." This collection of medieval Welsh tales and legends contains references to a character named Collen, who was said to be a valiant warrior and companion of the legendary King Arthur.
In the 9th century AD, the name Collen appeared in the historical records of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, a Welsh Kingdom located in what is now northwestern Wales. During this time, a notable figure named Collen ap Gwgon was a prominent Welsh prince and heir to the throne of Gwynedd.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Collen was relatively common among the Welsh and Irish populations. One notable bearer of the name was Saint Collen (521-600 AD), a 6th-century Welsh monk and founder of several monasteries in Brittany, France. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
In the 16th century, a Welsh poet and scholar named Collen Llwyd (1520-1587) gained recognition for his contributions to the preservation of Welsh literature and language. He is considered one of the most important figures in the Welsh Renaissance.
Another historical figure named Collen was Collen Baronet (1570-1640), an English politician and member of the House of Commons during the reign of King James I. He played a significant role in the early colonization efforts of the British Empire in North America.
While the name Collen has its roots in Celtic and Gaelic cultures, it has been adopted and used across various regions and ethnicities throughout history. However, it is important to note that the name's popularity and usage may have fluctuated over time, and its prevalence in modern times may differ from its historical significance.
People
Collen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Collen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Collen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Collen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,069 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Collen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 320,631 US residents.
Is Collen a common name?
We classify Collen as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Collen most popular?
The single biggest year for Collen was 1996, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Collen is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Collen a male name?
Yes, 56.4% of people registered as Collen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.