Collyn
A Scottish name of unknown meaning, possibly derived from a Gaelic surname.
Name Census estimates that about 1,061 living Americans carry the first name Collyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Collyn today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Collyn births was 2009 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Collyn. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 323,048 Americans
Peak year
2009
52 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,071
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Collyn
Collyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,079 total registrations, 818 (75.8%) were male and 261 (24.2%) were female.
Collyn as a male name
- Ranked #9,071 in 2023
- 8 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2009 (52 births)
Collyn as a female name
- Ranked #10,428 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2013 (14 births)
Popularity
Collyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Collyn from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 348 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
Collyn 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 Collyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Collyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Collyn, while Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Collyn
The name Collyn is of Celtic origin, with roots tracing back to medieval Britain and Ireland. It is a variant spelling of the name Colin, which itself is derived from the Old Gaelic word "colún," meaning "puppy" or "young dog." The name gained popularity in the British Isles during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Collyn can be found in the Welsh chronicles of the 12th century, where it was mentioned as the name of a minor nobleman. The name also appeared in several Irish literary works from the same period, further cementing its Celtic heritage.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Collyn. One of the earliest was Collyn ap Rhys (c. 1215-1282), a Welsh prince and military leader who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Welsh and the English during the 13th century.
Another prominent figure was Collyn FitzGerald (c. 1480-1536), an Irish nobleman and Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Tudor period. He was known for his loyalty to the English crown and his efforts to establish English rule in Ireland.
In the 17th century, Collyn Bevan (1628-1701) was a notable Quaker preacher and writer in England. He authored several religious works and was an influential figure in the early Quaker movement.
During the 18th century, Collyn Gwynne (1712-1770) was a Welsh antiquarian and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Welsh history and literature. He is best known for his work "An Essay on the History and Antiquities of Shropshire."
In the realm of literature, Collyn Rhynn (1853-1919) was a Welsh poet and author who wrote extensively in both Welsh and English. His works celebrated the beauty of the Welsh landscape and the rich cultural heritage of his homeland.
While the name Collyn has its roots in the Celtic regions of the British Isles, it has since gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in North America and Australia, where it is often used as a variant of the more common name Colin.
People
Collyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Collyn 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
Collyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Collyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,061 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Collyn 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 323,048 US residents.
Is Collyn a common name?
We classify Collyn 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, 1,079 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Collyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Collyn was 2009, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Collyn is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Collyn a male name?
Yes, 75.8% of people registered as Collyn 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.