Colin

The name Colin is a boy's name of Scottish, Greek, Irish origin meaning "pup". Thanks to its dashing Anglo-Irish image--due partly to Colins Firth and Farrell-- and its c-initialed two-syllable sound, Colin and its cousin Collin have enjoyed a long run of popularity, reaching as high as Number 84 in 2004. The usual pronunciation of Colin is COLL-in, but the alternate COLE-in version was publicized by General Colin Powell, the first U.S. African-American Secretary of State, who was named after World War II hero Colin Kelly. Literary cred: Colin Craven is a character in The Secret Garden, and Colin Creevey appears in the Harry Potter books. Both Kevin James and Kiss's Paul Stanley have young sons named Colin, while Tom Hanks has a grown one.