Collie
Of Scottish origin, meaning "black", referring to the dog breed's typical color.
Name Census estimates that about 448 living Americans carry the first name Collie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Collie today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Collie births was 1918 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Collie. 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
- • The typical person named Collie is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Collies were born before 1967.
People living today
448
~ 1 in 765,077 Americans
Peak year
1918
43 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
2001 SSA rank
#8,470
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Collie
Collie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,526 total registrations, 1,172 (76.8%) were male and 354 (23.2%) were female.
Collie as a male name
- Ranked #8,470 in 2001
- 7 male births in 2001
- Peak: 1915 (35 births)
Collie as a female name
- Ranked #15,693 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1918 (13 births)
Popularity
Collie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Collie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 305 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Collie 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 Collie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Collies live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Collie, while Virginia, South Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Collie
The name Collie is believed to have originated from the Scottish dialect word "col" or "colley," which means "black." It is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive term for the black-faced variety of Scottish sheepdogs, known for their distinctive black and white fur coats.
The name's history can be traced back to the late 16th century when it was first documented in Scotland. It was commonly used as a name for the herding dogs employed by Scottish shepherds to guard and manage their flocks of sheep in the rugged Scottish Highlands and Lowlands.
While the name Collie was primarily associated with the breed of sheepdogs, it eventually transitioned into a given name for humans, particularly in Scotland and other parts of the British Isles. The earliest recorded use of Collie as a first name for a person dates back to the late 18th century.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Collie was Collie Knox (1785-1859), a Scottish minister and theologian. He was known for his influential work "A View of the British Empire, more especially Scotland," published in 1785, which provided insights into the social and economic conditions of Scotland during that time.
Another historical figure with the name Collie was Collie Campbell (1827-1892), a Scottish writer and journalist. He was known for his contributions to various newspapers and magazines, including the Glasgow Herald and the Scottish Review.
In the 20th century, Collie Wilkins (1900-1984) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio between 1935 and 1937.
Collie Muggleton (1914-1994) was a British actor and comedian who appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout his career, including the popular sitcom "Steptoe and Son."
More recently, Collie Buddz (born 1984) is a Jamaican reggae artist known for his distinctive blend of reggae, dancehall, and hip-hop music. He has released several successful albums, including "Self Title" and "Revolutions."
While the name Collie has maintained a consistent presence throughout history, particularly in Scotland and the broader British Isles, its popularity as a given name has fluctuated over time. However, its connection to the iconic Scottish sheepdog breed and its historical roots in Scotland continue to be an integral part of its cultural significance.
People
Collie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Collie 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
Collie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Collie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 448 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Collie 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 765,077 US residents.
Is Collie a common name?
We classify Collie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,526 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Collie most popular?
The single biggest year for Collie was 1918, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Collie is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Collie a male name?
Yes, 76.8% of people registered as Collie 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.