Kollyn
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a variant of Colin.
Name Census estimates that about 262 living Americans carry the first name Kollyn. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Kollyn today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kollyn births was 2023 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kollyn. 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
262
~ 1 in 1,308,223 Americans
Peak year
2023
20 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,300
Tracked since 1994
Census
Kollyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 219 people with the first name Kollyn, which placed it at #36,320 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#36,320
National first-name rank
People counted
219
219 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kollyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kollyn is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kollyn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kollyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 159
- Black or African American11.4% · 25
- Two or more races6.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Kollyn
Kollyn is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 264 total registrations, 181 (68.6%) were male and 83 (31.4%) were female.
Kollyn as a male name
- Ranked #13,300 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2009 (13 births)
Kollyn as a female name
- Ranked #16,508 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (15 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kollyn on both sides of the split. Of the 216 people counted with this name, 150 were male (69.4%) and 66 were female (30.6%).
Popularity
Kollyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kollyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 97 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kollyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kollyn 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 Kollyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kollyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kollyn
The name Kollyn has its linguistic roots in the ancient Gaelic language, originating from the regions of modern-day Ireland and Scotland. The name is believed to have emerged during the 5th century AD, during the height of Celtic cultural influence in these areas. Kollyn is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "coillín," which roughly translates to "young wood" or "little wood."
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Kollyn appeared in various medieval Irish texts and manuscripts, often associated with characters from folklore and legendary tales. One notable example is the 8th-century Irish epic poem "The Cattle Raid of Cooley," where a minor character bears the name Kollyn.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Kollyn. One of the earliest recorded figures was Kollyn of Iona, a Scottish monk who lived in the 7th century AD and was known for his scholarly contributions to the preservation of ancient texts.
In the 12th century, Kollyn the Scribe gained recognition for his intricate calligraphy work and the transcription of numerous manuscripts, many of which remain preserved in various monastic libraries across Europe.
During the 16th century, Kollyn O'Donoghue (1525-1592) was a prominent Irish chieftain who played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against English rule in Ireland.
In more recent times, Kollyn Hawthorne (1890-1976) was a renowned American painter and illustrator, known for her vibrant landscapes and portraiture works that captured the essence of rural American life.
Lastly, Kollyn Winn (1927-2005) was a Canadian athlete who excelled in track and field events, particularly in sprinting and hurdling. She represented Canada in multiple international competitions, including the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games.
While the name Kollyn has its roots in ancient Celtic cultures, it has transcended its original linguistic boundaries and has been adopted by various cultures and communities worldwide, each adding their unique interpretations and associations to this historic name.
People
Kollyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kollyn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kollyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kollyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 262 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kollyn 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 1,308,223 US residents.
Is Kollyn a common name?
We classify Kollyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kollyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kollyn was 2023, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kollyn is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kollyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 219 people with the name Kollyn, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #36,320 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kollyn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kollyn?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kollyn on both sides of the split. Of the 216 people counted with this name, 150 were male (69.4%) and 66 were female (30.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kollyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kollyn is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.4%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kollyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kollyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (159 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kollyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kollyn a male name?
Yes, 68.6% of people registered as Kollyn 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.
Is Kollyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kollyn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kollyn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Kollyn?
You can see how many Americans are named Kollyn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.