Dictionary

Colin en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɑlɪn/ (US)
• /ˈkəʊlɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈkɒlɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈkoʊlɪn/ (US)

Etymology

(given name): * Coll + -in. Diminutive of Coll, a medieval short form of Nicholas. * It has also been used to anglicize Irish Coileán and Scottish Gaelic Cailean.

Meanings

1. A male given name
   • “After reaching 40, many people experience noticeable changes in their hair due to a combination of aging, hormonal shifts and lifestyle factors,” says Colin Ford, professional hairstylist and director of education at Sachajuan. 2025 February 16, Sophie Shaw, “5 tips for healthy hair in your 40s and beyond, from professional hairstylists”, in CNN:
   • "My parents," Powell wrote, "were British subjects, and they named me Colin (KAH-lin). Being British, they knew very well how the name was supposed to be pronounced. But when I was a young boy, there was a famous American World War II hero whose name became very popular in the streets of New York City. He was Capt. Colin P. Kelly Jr. He was called KOH-lin. My friends in the streets of the South Bronx, who heard Captain Kelly's name pronounced in the radio and by their parents and other adults, began to refer to me by the same pronunciation. 1992, Howard B. Means, Colin Powell, Donald J. Fine, published 1992, →ISBN, page 49:
   • That iolly shepheard, which there piped, was / Poore Colin Clout (who knowes not Colin Clout?) 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 16:
2. A male given name ▸ A diminutive of the male given name Nicholas, from Ancient Greek.
3. A male given name ▸ A male given name from Old Irish ▸ A male given name from Irish
4. A male given name ▸ A male given name from Old Irish ▸ A male given name from Scottish Gaelic
5. A rather rare surname originating as a patronymic, variant of Collin.

Forms

Relateds

Collen · Collison · Collen · Collin · Collinson · Collin · Collins · Collis