Lynden
A masculine name of English origin meaning "linden tree valley".
Name Census estimates that about 1,885 living Americans carry the first name Lynden. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Lynden today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lynden births was 2016 (77 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lynden. 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
1.9K
~ 1 in 181,833 Americans
Peak year
2016
77 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,219
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Lynden
Lynden is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,214 total registrations, 1,469 (66.4%) were male and 745 (33.6%) were female.
Lynden as a male name
- Ranked #5,787 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (41 births)
Lynden as a female name
- Ranked #5,219 in 2024
- 25 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (52 births)
Popularity
Lynden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lynden from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 660 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lynden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lynden 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 Lynden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lyndens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Lynden, while Nebraska, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lynden
The name Lynden is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "linden" or "lind," meaning lime tree or linden tree. It was initially used as a surname, referring to someone who lived near a linden tree or grove. The earliest recorded use of Lynden as a given name dates back to the 16th century.
In Anglo-Saxon England, the linden tree held significant cultural and symbolic importance. It was associated with fertility, protection, and loyalty. The name Lynden may have been chosen to evoke these qualities or as a nod to the person's connection to nature.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Lynden was Lynden Dudley (1573-1647), an English clergyman and academic. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and is noted for his involvement in the Oxford Aristotelian studies.
Another notable figure was Lynden Pindling (1930-2000), a Bahamian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the Bahamas from 1967 to 1992. He played a crucial role in the country's transition to independence and is celebrated as a national hero.
In the realm of literature, Lynden Harris (1901-1976) was an American novelist and short story writer known for her works exploring themes of race, gender, and social issues. Her novel "Eighth Avenue" (1958) received critical acclaim.
Moving to the world of sports, Lynden David Hall (born 1981) is a former professional baseball player from the Bahamas. He played in Major League Baseball for teams like the Detroit Tigers and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Lynden Blossom (born 1939) is a Canadian artist and illustrator renowned for his vibrant paintings and illustrations depicting rural life and landscapes in Canada. His works are celebrated for capturing the essence of Canadian culture and traditions.
While these are just a few examples, the name Lynden has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, each leaving their unique mark on their respective fields and cultural spheres.
People
Lynden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lynden 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
Lynden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lynden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,885 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lynden 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 181,833 US residents.
Is Lynden a common name?
We classify Lynden as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lynden most popular?
The single biggest year for Lynden was 2016, when 77 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lynden is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lynden a male name?
Yes, 66.4% of people registered as Lynden 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.
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.