unisex name
Collins
KOL-inz
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 14,942
the United States
#241
2025 births
Collins is a unisex name with two separate origins. In Ireland it anglicizes Ó Coileáin, from a word for a young hound; in England it is a patronymic meaning son of Colin, itself a medieval pet form of Nicholas. Both lines feed the modern name.
- Collins is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 1,334 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,485 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Collins started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Collins over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 40 |
| 1890s | 40 |
| 1900s | 100 |
| 1910s | 280 |
| 1920s | 329 |
| 1930s | 245 |
| 1940s | 284 |
| 1950s | 297 |
| 1960s | 195 |
| 1970s | 182 |
| 1980s | 296 |
| 1990s | 287 |
| 2000s | 326 |
| 2010s | 4,372 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,192 |
What Collins means
Collins means either descendant of the young hound, from the Irish coileán, or son of Colin, where Colin is a diminutive of Nicholas. The two derivations are unrelated and both are correct for different families.
Where Collins comes from
Collins has an Irish and an English source that converged in spelling. The Irish Ó Coileáin comes from coileán, a whelp or young hound, a common approving byname in a warrior culture; the family held land in Limerick before being pushed into Cork. The English Collins is a patronymic from Colin, which in medieval England was a pet form of Nicholas by way of the French Colin, plus the possessive S that marks so many English surnames. Michael Collins, the Irish revolutionary leader, kept the name prominent in the twentieth century. Its use as a girl's first name is recent and largely American.
Collins in use
Collins appears in our records from 1881 and charts in only three of the seven countries we track.
How popular is Collins?
In 2025, Collins was given to 1,334 babies in the United States, ranking #241 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Collins is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Collins
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Collins also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Collins over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Collins
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Collins in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Collin
Sibling names for Collins
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Collins — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Collins
What does the name Collins mean?
Either young hound, from the Irish Ó Coileáin, or son of Colin, from the English patronymic. The two origins are unrelated.
Is Collins a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. In recent American use it is given more often to girls.
Is Collins an Irish name?
It can be. Ó Coileáin is a genuine Irish surname, but there is also a separate English Collins meaning son of Colin.
How popular is the name Collins?
In 2025, Collins was given to 1,334 babies in the United States, ranking #241 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Collins?
Collins has 2 syllables.
When was Collins most popular?
Collins peaked in 2023, when 1,334 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Collins?
Collins is usually shortened to Coco and Lin.
Is Collins a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Collins currently ranks #241 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.