Boy name origins & meanings Irish : YouthGreek : Victor; Short form of Nicholas Boy name variations Colin Colan Colyn Coilin Family name origins & meanings Irish : Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Coileáin and Mac Coileáin (see Cullen 1).English : patronymic from the Middle English personal name Col(l)in, a pet form of Coll, itself a short form of Nicholas.Americanized form of French Colin. Famous people with this last name Phil Collins