Total births
133,706
Boys' name · since 1880
Colin
133,706 babies named Colin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2004. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #335
- among boys today
- 133,706
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
133,706 babies have been named Colin since 1880, making it today's #335 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Colin has been recorded 133,706 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #335 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #335 among boys today
- 133,706 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Colin is currently the #335 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 133,706 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #335
- among boys today
- 133,706
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Colin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#335
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Colin was born in this single decade.
2004
Single peak year
5,122 babies were named Colin in 2004 - its busiest year on record.
How Colin compares
133,706 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Colin's all-time total is 364x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Colin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 133,706 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,122 | 23 | 22,252 |
Colin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Colin's full recorded timeline at 1958, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2004 peak of 5,122 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Colin at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2004
Current rank
#335
Active since
1880
Colin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2004)
- 5,122
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Colin popularity over time - girls
445 total births recorded since 1960 (Colin as girls' name)
Colin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Colin's strongest decade.
39,129 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Colin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 46
1880s
46 births
- 1890s 30
1890s
30 births
- 1900s 34
1900s
34 births
- 1910s 267
1910s
267 births
- 1920s 412
1920s
412 births
- 1930s 491
1930s
491 births
- 1940s 1,919
1940s
1,919 births
- 1950s 2,459
1950s
2,459 births
- 1960s 4,162
1960s
4,162 births
- 1970s 7,484
1970s
7,484 births
- 1980s
1980s
17,672 births
- 1990s
1990s
28,258 births
- 2000s
2000s
39,129 births
- 2010s
2010s
24,715 births
- 2020s 6,628
2020s
6,628 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 39,129 births (29% of all-time use).
How Colin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Colin's total volume
Colin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Colin by state
Where Colin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12,641 | 9.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 10,010 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 8,694 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 7,749 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 6,444 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 6,439 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Texas | | 6,118 | 4.6% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 5,364 | 4.0% |
California share of Colin's total US births 9.5%
Even split
12,641 of 133,706 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Colin appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Colin? ▼
133,706 babies have been named Colin since 1880. It currently ranks #335 among boys. The peak year was 2004 with 5,122 births.
When was Colin most popular? ▼
Colin was most popular in the 2000s decade with 39,129 total births. The single peak year was 2004.
Where is Colin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Colin are California (12,641 births), New York (10,010 births), Pennsylvania (8,694 births).
How long has the name Colin been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Colin since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Colin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cole, Colton, Collin, Colby, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Colin's data
- Colin's decade-level peak was the 2000s (39,129 total births); usage has since declined to 6,628 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Colins (12,641 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Colin
Nearby Names Like Colin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Colin
Cole Boy
#163 154,093 births
Colton Boy
#98 151,965 births
Collin Boy
#490 81,437 births
Colby Boy
#583 53,971 births
Colt Boy
#277 27,869 births
Compare Colin side by side: Colin vs Cole Colin vs Colton Colin vs Collin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Colin
Shiloh #334
9,414 births · Peak 2025
Sonny #336
22,327 births · Peak 2025
Erick #333
79,463 births · Peak 2007
Mathias #337
15,544 births · Peak 2025
Archie #332
56,244 births · Peak 2025
Ezequiel #338
20,811 births · Peak 2024
Maximus #331
34,662 births · Peak 2014
Sullivan #339
15,635 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Colin: #335 Boys' Name - 133,706 Births, Peak 2004." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/colin. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Colin draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.