Lynnley
An English feminine name derived from the surname meaning "dweller by the linden trees".
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Lynnley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lynnley today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lynnley births was 2024 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lynnley. 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
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
2024
17 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,801
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Lynnley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lynnley 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 93 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lynnley remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lynnley 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 Lynnley 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 Lynnley
The given name Lynnley has its roots in the English language and is believed to have originated as a combination of the names Lynn and Ley. The name Lynn is derived from the Old English word "linn," meaning a waterfall or a pool. On the other hand, Ley is an English surname that likely originated from a place name.
The earliest recorded use of the name Lynnley dates back to the late 19th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Lynnley Browne, an American writer and journalist born in 1882. She was known for her work as a foreign correspondent during World War I.
Another notable figure with the name Lynnley was Lynnley Sahli, an American artist and sculptor active in the mid-20th century. Born in 1920, she was known for her abstract sculptures and public art installations, many of which can still be found in various cities across the United States.
In the world of literature, Lynnley Browning was an American author and journalist born in 1957. She gained recognition for her work as a financial journalist and her book "The Accidental Billionaires," which explored the founding of Facebook.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Lynnley was Lynnley Browning, an American actress and model born in 1971. She appeared in numerous television shows and films throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, including "The X-Files" and "Pearl Harbor."
Another notable figure was Lynnley Stokes, an American politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Mississippi from 1993 to 1997. Born in 1942, she was the first woman to hold that position in the state's history.
While the name Lynnley may not have been widely used throughout ancient history or mentioned in significant historical texts, it has gained popularity in more recent times, particularly in the United States and parts of the English-speaking world.
People
Lynnley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lynnley 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
Lynnley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lynnley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lynnley 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 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Lynnley a common name?
We classify Lynnley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lynnley most popular?
The single biggest year for Lynnley was 2024, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lynnley 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 Lynnley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lynnley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lynnley 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.
Is Lynnley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lynnley 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 Lynnley 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 are named Lynnley?
You can see how many people have the name Lynnley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.