Lindsy
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "from the linden tree island".
Name Census estimates that about 2,057 living Americans carry the first name Lindsy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lindsy today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lindsy births was 1982 (129 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lindsy. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 166,628 Americans
Peak year
1982
129 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1919 SSA rank
#4,532
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Lindsy
Out of the 2,158 babies given the name Lindsy since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Lindsy as a male name
- Ranked #4,532 in 1919
- 5 male births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (5 births)
Lindsy as a female name
- Ranked #12,864 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1982 (129 births)
Popularity
Lindsy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lindsy from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,004 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lindsy by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lindsy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lindsys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, Michigan recorded the most babies named Lindsy, while Oklahoma, New Jersey, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lindsy
The name Lindsy finds its origins in the Old English language, and it is believed to have emerged in the 7th century AD. It is derived from the Old English word "lind," which means "lime tree" or "linden tree." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or worked with these types of trees.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name was spelled as "Lind" or "Lynd." Over time, variations such as "Lindsy" and "Lyndsay" emerged, likely influenced by the Scottish and Irish cultures where the name became more prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lindsy can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their properties in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name had already gained some popularity by the late 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Lindsy. Here are a few examples:
1. Lindsy of Rivaulx (c. 1135 - c. 1200), an English Cistercian monk and writer who is best known for his spiritual treatises and sermons.
2. Lindsy Howard (1580 - 1652), an English nobleman and politician who served as a member of the House of Commons during the reign of King Charles I.
3. Lindsy Whiting (1609 - 1685), an English Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the development of Congregationalism in New England.
4. Lindsy Jones (1725 - 1794), a Welsh mathematician and writer who made contributions to the field of navigation and published several works on astronomy and mathematics.
5. Lindsy Stirling (born 1986), an American violinist, dancer, and composer, known for her unique fusion of classical and electronic music.
While the name Lindsy has its roots in Old English, it has been embraced by various cultures and languages over the centuries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse linguistic influences it has encountered.
People
Lindsy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lindsy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lindsy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lindsy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,057 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lindsy going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 166,628 US residents.
Is Lindsy a common name?
We classify Lindsy as "Rare". It ranks above 93.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,158 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lindsy most popular?
The single biggest year for Lindsy was 1982, when 129 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lindsy is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lindsy a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Lindsy in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.