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

Lindsay, 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 Lindsay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lindsay in America

Lindsay is the 1052nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lindsay surname appeared 33,255 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Lindsay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lindsay 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 Lindsay

The surname Lindsay is of Scottish origin and derived from the name of a parish in East Lothian, Scotland. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "lindi" meaning "linden tree" and "ēg" meaning "island, dry ground". This suggests that the name likely referred to a dry ground area or an island where linden trees grew.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his invasion of Scotland. This document lists Walter de Lindesaye as one of the landowners. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Lindissay, Lindesay, and eventually Lindsay.

In the 14th century, the Lindsay family became prominent in Scottish history. Sir James Lindsay of Crawfurd served as a trusted advisor to King Robert II of Scotland and was granted the earldom of Crawford in 1398. His descendant, David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford (1528-1558), was a renowned Scottish poet and courtier during the Scottish Renaissance.

Another notable figure was John Lindsay, 19th Earl of Crawford and 3rd Earl of Lindsay (1702-1749), who was a Scottish peer and patron of the arts. He amassed a significant collection of manuscripts, books, and art, which formed the basis of the Crawford Library and the Craufurd Collection at the British Museum.

In the 17th century, Robert Lindsay of Pitcalmie (1619-1677) served as a Scottish lawyer and was appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland in 1668. He played a crucial role in the prosecution of the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement, during the reign of King Charles II.

Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (c. 1490-1555) was a Scottish poet and courtier who served as the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the principal officer of arms for Scotland. He is best known for his satirical work "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis", which criticized the corruption in the Scottish church and government.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Lindsay throughout history, highlighting the name's Scottish origins and the prominence of the Lindsay family in various fields, including literature, law, and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lindsay

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

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 Lindsay 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 Lindsay 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 Lindsay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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