A masculine given name of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Cailean meaning 'young warrior' or 'whelp'.
From Scottish Gaelic Cailean, possibly from cailean meaning 'whelp' or 'young dog', or from Old Irish Caílín. The name spread from Scotland and Ireland to other English-speaking countries, often anglicized as Colin and sometimes confused with the unrelated French name Colin (diminutive of Nicholas).
Colin demonstrates how names can have completely different origins despite identical spelling - the Scottish/Irish Colin meaning 'young warrior' is unrelated to the French Colin meaning 'little Nicholas'. This convergent evolution of names shows how different cultures can independently arrive at similar sounds with entirely different meanings.
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