Linsley
Linsley, an English name with uncertain origins, potentially derived from a place name.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Linsley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Linsley today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Linsley births was 1956 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Linsley. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Linsley is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Linsleys were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Linsley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1956
5 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1956 SSA rank
#4,252
Tracked since 1956
Census
Linsley in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 134 people with the first name Linsley, which placed it at #48,062 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,062
National first-name rank
People counted
134
134 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linsley
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Linsley is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Linsley described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Linsley at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.7% · 88
- Black or African American23.9% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 6
- Two or more races4.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
Popularity
Linsley: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Linsley 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 Linsley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Linsley
The given name Linsley has its origins rooted in the Old English language, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period of the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from the place name "Linsley" or "Lindsley," which can be traced back to a village or town in England.
One theory suggests that the name is derived from the Old English words "lind," meaning a lime tree or linden tree, and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing. This would imply that the name Linsley originally referred to someone who lived near a clearing or meadow where lime trees grew. Alternatively, it could be a combination of "lind" and "ley," meaning a field or pasture, indicating that the name Linsley may have been associated with someone residing near a linden tree field or pasture.
While there are no known direct historical references to the name Linsley in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some notable individuals throughout history have borne this first name. One of the earliest recorded examples is Linsley Armstrong (1538-1601), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent figure was Linsley Woolridge (1651-1718), a British merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education in his hometown of Bristol, England. In the literary realm, Linsley Johnson (1787-1853) was an American poet and essayist known for his works exploring themes of nature and romanticism.
Moving into the 20th century, Linsley Herbert (1903-1976) was a British architect and urban planner who played a pivotal role in the reconstruction efforts after World War II. His designs and urban planning initiatives helped reshape many cities across the United Kingdom.
More recently, Linsley Sanga (born 1962) is a prominent Tanzanian football (soccer) player and coach, recognized for his contributions to the sport both on and off the field. He represented Tanzania in international competitions and later served as the head coach of the national team.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the given name Linsley, showcasing its enduring presence and diverse backgrounds across various fields and cultures.
People
Linsley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Linsley 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
Linsley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Linsley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Linsley 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Linsley a common name?
We classify Linsley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Linsley most popular?
The single biggest year for Linsley was 1956, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Linsley is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Linsley in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 134 people with the name Linsley, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,062 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Linsley in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Linsley?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Linsley on both sides of the split. Of the 136 people counted with this name, 44 were male (32.4%) and 92 were female (67.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Linsley?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Linsley is White at 65.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Linsley most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Linsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (88 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Linsley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Linsley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Linsley in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Linsley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Linsley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Linsley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Linsley as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.