Collin

The name derives from medieval pet forms of Nicholas, alongside the Scottish Gaelic name Cailean, meaning whelp or pup. American parents largely ignored it until the late twentieth century. By the nineties, the double-L spelling found its footing as an American staple.

The name places someone squarely around twenty-four years old, usually holding a nylon lanyard and a campus parking pass. It suggests a childhood soundtracked by third-wave ska and dial-up tones, though more than half of all living bearers belong to Generation Z. A bearer of this spelling spends a non-trivial amount of time clarifying that there are two Ls in the middle.