Colin (given name)

Colin is a male given name. Colin is usually pronounced /ˈkɒlɨn/ (ko-lin), although General Colin Powell chooses to use /ˈkoʊlɨn/ (koh-lin). Like many given names, it has multiple origins, including:

• an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Cailean" or "Coileáin", meaning "whelp", "cub", or "young pup";
• a diminutive form of Nicolas (before the 17th century in England, most nicknames had the diminutive ending "in" or "Kin", where the ending is attached to the first syllable, a few remain such as Robin (Rob-in, from Robert), Hank (Hen-Kin from Henry), Jack (Jan-kin from John), and Colin (Col-in from Nicolas));
• a diminutive form of "Colle", a short French form of Nicholas (Greek), meaning "victorious people";
• a development of the Norse name "Koli", meaning "dark", a Middle English surname given to those living on property whose ownership was disputed;

In the UK and Ireland the name tends to be spelt with one "L", Colin; whereas in the USA it is sometimes spelled with two, Collin. It was never the most popular name in England and Wales, (although it is relatively common,) probably peaking around the 1960s, and has not been in the top 100 boy's names for decades. In Scotland it ranked approximately 200th in 2007,^[1] but in Ireland it is more popular, ranking 88th in 2006.^[2] Colin is slowly becoming more popular in the USA, making the top 100 boys' names in each of the three years to 2005, with Collin being slightly less popular. In total, the two spellings accounted for around 1 in 300 boys named in the USA in 2005.^[3]

Colin may refer to a number of notable people:

• Cuilén mac Ildulb (d. 971), King of Scots
• Colin Baker, British actor
• Colin Bean, British actor
• Colin C. Berry, Canadian actor
• Colin Blunstone, singer from the Zombies
• Colin Burgess (musician), Australian Musician
• Sir Colin Campbell (d. 1296), Scottish warrior and progenitor of Clan Campbell
• Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde, (1792–1863) Scottish soldier
  • See Colin Campbell for more people with this name
• Colin Campbell Cooper, American Impressionist painter
• Colin Clark, British economist
• Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars
• Colin Coates, Australian ice speed skater
• Colin Cowdrey, English cricketer
• Colin Cowherd, American sports radio personality
• Colin Creevey, fictional character from the Harry Potter series
• Colin Cunningham, American film and TV actor
• Colin Cunningham (swimmer), British swimmer
• Colin Delaney, American professional wrestler
• Colin Emerle, American musician
• Colin Farrell, Irish actor
• Colin Ferguson (actor), Canadian actor
• Colin Ferguson (convict), Jamaican - American mass murderer
• Colin Firth (born 1960), British actor
• Colin Fox (actor), Canadian actor
• Colin Greenwood, bassist for rock band Radiohead
• Colin Griffiths, comedian
• Colin Hanks, American actor
• Colin Hay, Scottish-Australian lead singer of Men at Work)
• Colin Hendry (born 1965), Scottish footballer
• Colin Jackson, Welsh hurdler
• Colin Kelly, the first American hero of the Second World War
• Colin MacLaurin, Scottish mathematician
• Colin McComb, American game designer
• Colin McAllister, Scottish interior designer and television presenter.
• Colin McGinn, English philosopher
• Colin McRae (1968–2007), Scottish rally driver
• Colin Meloy, American guitarist and singer in The Decemberists
• Colin Mitchell, British author and journalist
• Colin Mochrie, Scottish Canadian actor/improv comedian
• Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer
• Colin Morgan, Irish actor
• Colin Moulding, bassist and singer for band XTC
• Colin Murray, British radio DJ and television presenter
• Col Needham, founder of the Internet Movie Database
• Colin Newlin, American actor/model
• Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State
• Colin Pillinger, British scientist
• Colin Quinn, American comedian
• Colin Richardson, music producer
• Colin Reitz, British long-distance runner
• Colin Stagg, the man wrongly imprisoned in the Rachel Nickell murder case
• Colin Touchin, British musician and conductor
• Colin Turnbull, sociologist and author
• Colin Ward, political writer
• Colin Welland, British actor and screenwriter
• Colin Wilson, British writer
  • See Colin Wilson for more people with this name
• Colin Winter, bishop

See also

• List of Irish-language given names

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]