Lynnsey
A feminine variant of the Old Norse name Lynnae or Lina meaning "lake".
Name Census estimates that about 747 living Americans carry the first name Lynnsey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lynnsey today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lynnsey births was 1989 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lynnsey. 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
747
~ 1 in 458,841 Americans
Peak year
1989
38 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,683
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Lynnsey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lynnsey from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 270 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
Lynnsey 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 Lynnsey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lynnseys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lynnsey
The name Lynnsey is an English variant of the Scottish name Lindsey, which is derived from the Old English place name "Lindesig" or "Lindesege." This place name referred to the region of Lindsey, a former kingdom and county in modern-day Lincolnshire, England. The name Lindsey is believed to have originated from the Old English words "lind," meaning "lime tree," and "ēg," meaning "island" or "region surrounded by water."
Historically, the name Lindsey was popular in the British Isles, particularly in Scotland and England. It has been recorded as a surname in England as early as the 12th century. However, its use as a given name became more prevalent in the 19th and 20th centuries, likely influenced by the rise of surnames as first names.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Lynnsey was Lynnsey de Stafford, a knight and landowner from Staffordshire, England, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Lynnsey de Bohun, a Scottish nobleman and military commander who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence during the 14th century.
In more recent history, Lynnsey Addario is an American photojournalist and author, born in 1973, known for her work covering conflicts and humanitarian crises around the world. Lynnsey Kraible is an American actress and model, born in 1983, who has appeared in various television shows and films.
Other notable individuals with the name Lynnsey include Lynnsey Gardner, an American singer-songwriter and musician, born in 1981; Lynnsey Shortall, an Irish politician and member of the European Parliament, born in 1976; and Lynnsey Narozny, a Canadian softball player who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
While the name Lynnsey may have roots in Old English and Scottish history, its popularity as a given name has risen in more recent times, likely influenced by the trend of using surnames as first names and the desire for unique and distinctive names.
People
Lynnsey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lynnsey 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
Lynnsey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lynnsey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 747 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lynnsey 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 458,841 US residents.
Is Lynnsey a common name?
We classify Lynnsey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 775 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lynnsey most popular?
The single biggest year for Lynnsey was 1989, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lynnsey is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lynnsey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lynnsey 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.