Linux
Young of the Scandinavian gods Linus and Idun.
Name Census estimates that about 86 living Americans carry the first name Linux. It is a predominantly male name (94.3% of registrations). The average person named Linux today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Linux births was 2016 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Linux. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Linux. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
86
~ 1 in 3,985,516 Americans
Peak year
2016
13 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,466
Tracked since 2012
Gender
Gender distribution for Linux
Linux leans heavily male at 94.3% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Linux as a male name
- Ranked #10,466 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (10 births)
Linux as a female name
- Ranked #17,777 in 2016
- 5 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2016 (5 births)
Popularity
Linux: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Linux from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 45 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Linux 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 Linux during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Linux
The name Linux has its origins in the ancient Nordic languages, tracing back to the Viking era in Scandinavia around the 8th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "linn," which means "the path of a serpent" or "a meandering watercourse." This name may have been given to children in reference to the winding paths of rivers or streams near their place of birth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Linux can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of epic tales and stories from the 13th century. The name appears in the Saga of Egill, where a character named Linux Thorgrimsson is mentioned as a skilled navigator and explorer.
In the 14th century, a Norwegian seafarer named Linux Eriksson is said to have been part of the crew that accompanied the famous explorer Leif Eriksson on his voyage to Vinland (present-day Newfoundland, Canada). Eriksson's expedition is documented in the Greenland Saga and the Saga of Erik the Red.
During the Middle Ages, the name Linux saw some usage across various parts of Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. One notable figure from this period was Linux Björnsson, a Swedish military commander who fought in the Kalmar Union wars against Denmark in the late 15th century.
Fast-forwarding to the 18th century, a Danish scholar and linguist named Linux Rasmussen (1695-1762) gained recognition for his work on the study of Old Norse languages and literature. His contributions helped to preserve and promote the understanding of ancient Nordic culture and language.
Another individual of note was Linux Andersson (1809-1888), a Swedish artist and painter known for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Scandinavian countryside. His works were highly regarded and are still celebrated in art circles today.
Despite its ancient roots, the name Linux has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, with only occasional usage in the Nordic regions. However, it gained a new level of recognition and popularity in the modern era with the development of the Linux operating system by Linus Torvalds in the 1990s.
People
Linux + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Linux 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
Linux: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Linux?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 86 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Linux 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 3,985,516 US residents.
Is Linux a common name?
We classify Linux as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Linux most popular?
The single biggest year for Linux was 2016, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Linux is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Linux in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Linux a male name?
Yes, 94.3% of people registered as Linux 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 Linux still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Linux 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 Linux 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Linux?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.