Head to head · Boys' names
Colin vs Russell
#343 vs #345 in 2025
Colin is a whisker ahead (#343 vs #345 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Colin is stepping back from its peak, Russell is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Russell has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Russell leads 3 measures of 6; Colin leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Colin #850, Russell #147 — Russell higher
- 1890s: Colin #971, Russell #71 — Russell higher
- 1900s: Colin #1210, Russell #55 — Russell higher
- 1910s: Colin #1205, Russell #52 — Russell higher
- 1920s: Colin #1106, Russell #53 — Russell higher
- 1930s: Colin #925, Russell #67 — Russell higher
- 1940s: Colin #506, Russell #69 — Russell higher
- 1950s: Colin #470, Russell #62 — Russell higher
- 1960s: Colin #388, Russell #57 — Russell higher
- 1970s: Colin #273, Russell #80 — Russell higher
- 1980s: Colin #160, Russell #111 — Russell higher
- 1990s: Colin #126, Russell #232 — Colin higher
- 2000s: Colin #108, Russell #370 — Colin higher
- 2010s: Colin #173, Russell #409 — Colin higher
- 2020s: Colin #310, Russell #367 — Colin higher
Russell stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Colin has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Colin | Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #850 | #147 |
| 1890s | #971 | #71 |
| 1900s | #1210 | #55 |
| 1910s | #1205 | #52 |
| 1920s | #1106 | #53 |
| 1930s | #925 | #67 |
| 1940s | #506 | #69 |
| 1950s | #470 | #62 |
| 1960s | #388 | #57 |
| 1970s | #273 | #80 |
| 1980s | #160 | #111 |
| 1990s | #126 | #232 |
| 2000s | #108 | #370 |
| 2010s | #173 | #409 |
| 2020s | #310 | #367 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Colin
Either "victory of the people" (through Nicholas) or "whelp, young pup" (through Gaelic cailean)
Two separate names meet at this spelling. In England and France, Colin began as a diminutive of Nicholas — Colle plus the affectionate ending -in — so it inherits the Greek sense of Nikolaos, "victory of the people." In Scotland it is the anglicized form of Cailean, connected to Gaelic cailean, "whelp" or "young dog," an affectionate rather than insulting term in Gaelic naming. Both readings are serious and well documented; which one applies depends on which family line the name traveled down.
Nikolaos → Nicholas → Colle → Colin
How it traveled
The English Colin grew out of Nicholas: medieval speakers clipped it to Colle and added the diminutive -in, and the same thing happened in French, where Colin became a common everyday name in the Middle Ages. Quite separately, Scottish Gaelic Cailean was long established in the Highlands, and English writers rendered it as Colin — which is why the name has been strongly Scottish for centuries while also being, technically, a nickname for Nicholas.
Russell
little red one
From an Old French nickname about hair or complexion, with a diminutive ending. The sense is not disputed, and the name reached English as a surname before it was ever a given name.
rous → Rousel → Russell
How it traveled
The word underneath it is still in English, attached to apples and to autumn coats. Russet comes from the same Old French root — rous, meaning red or reddish-brown — by the same diminutive ending, so a russet apple and a person called Russell are carrying the identical word with the identical suffix, one describing fruit and the other describing hair.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Colin
KOL-in
In American use the first syllable usually rhymes with "doll" — KAH-lin. British and Irish speakers most often say KOL-in as well, though KOH-lin, with a long o, is also widely heard and was the pronunciation used by some well-known bearers. Both are correct; it is worth deciding which one your family will use, since strangers will guess.
- Col — The oldest short form, and the one the name was originally built from; informal, family use.
- Cole — Informal, and also a well-established given name in its own right in the US.
- Colie — Affectionate, mostly used by family and with young children.
- C.J. — Initial-based, used when the middle name allows it; common in American school and sports settings.
Russell
RUSS-ul
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The second reduces to almost nothing, which is why the doubled l is never heard.
- Russ — The front alone; a standing name in its own right and completely established.
- Rusty — Built from the same root; warm, informal and older-sounding.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Colin if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsColin is stepping back from its peak
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Col, Cole and Colie
- a name that feels very nowColin is stepping back from its peak
Choose Russell if you want…
- a name on the way upup 25 places on the charts in five years
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 68% for Colin
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Colin
Strengths
- Two syllables, one clear stress, and no letter anyone has to be told about — most people can spell it after hearing it once.
- Works unchanged in English and French, with close relatives in Gaelic and Irish, so it travels well.
- Established short forms in real use: Col and Cole, both centuries or decades old rather than invented.
To consider
- Colin and Collin both exist as accepted spellings, so expect to correct the double-l version regularly for life. Neither is wrong, which is exactly what makes the mix-up persistent.
- The pronunciation genuinely splits — KAH-lin and KOH-lin are both in use — so your child will hear their name said two ways and will need a habit of answering to both.
- If the Gaelic line matters to you, know that cailean means "whelp" or "young pup": warm in Gaelic naming tradition, but not the meaning most parents expect to find.
Russell
Strengths
- It has been in continuous English use for centuries without ever going strange.
- Russ sits inside it as a completely established short form.
- The meaning is concrete and easy to explain.
To consider
- It is firmly associated with an older generation.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
- The meaning describes an appearance the child may not have.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Colin
68%chance Colin feels dated by 2040
Colin is coming down from a big peak (#85 in 2004). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
Russell
12%chance Russell feels dated by 2040
Russell has held the top-100 across 9 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Colin and Russell in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Colin and Russell — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Colin or Russell — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Colin or Russell?
- Colin, in 2025: Colin ranked #343 with 950 babies; Russell ranked #345 with 944 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Colin or Russell?
- Russell. Over the last five years Colin moved down 56 places; Russell moved up 25 places.
- Which is the older name, Colin or Russell?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Colin and Russell?
- About 127,000 people named Colin are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 212,000 people named Russell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Colins or Russells in the classroom?
- Colin will almost certainly be the only one in school. Russell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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