Find out how popular the last name Linden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Linden.

Linden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Linden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Linden in America

Linden is the 5534th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Linden surname appeared 6,276 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Linden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Linden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Linden

The surname Linden originates from Germany and the Low Countries. It first appeared in the late medieval period, deriving from the German word 'linden', meaning 'lime tree'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a lime tree or grove of lime trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Linden surname dates back to the 13th century, when a Heinrich von der Linden was mentioned in a document from the town of Marburg in Germany. The 'von der' prefix indicated the family's nobility and land ownership.

In the Netherlands, the Linden name was also prominently found, often spelled as 'Linden' or 'van der Linden'. A Johannes van der Linden was recorded in Utrecht in 1389. The Dutch 'van der' prefix had a similar meaning to the German 'von der', denoting the family's connection to a place called Linden.

The Linden surname can be traced back to various place names across Germany and the Low Countries that incorporated the word 'Linden'. Examples include Linden in Hesse, Germany, and Linden near Antwerp, Belgium. These locations likely took their names from the prevalence of lime trees in the area.

Notable individuals with the Linden surname include the Dutch Golden Age painter Pieter van der Linden (1609-1678), known for his genre paintings and portraits. Another was the German-American brewer Adolph Linden (1839-1917), who co-founded the Linden Brewing Company in Chicago.

Other historical figures bearing the Linden name include the German painter and engraver Johann Baptist Linden (1785-1846), the Dutch botanist Jean Jules Linden (1817-1898), who made significant contributions to the study of orchids, and the German mathematician Johann Georg Linden (1676-1723), who is credited with introducing the symbol for infinity.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Linden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Linden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Linden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Linden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Linden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Linden, please contact us.

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