2000
#1,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,744
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.77
Uncommon Last name
Lindsay
A habitational surname derived from places in Scotland, England, or Ireland, likely referring to a linden tree grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,781 Americans carry the last name Lindsay. That puts it at #1,073 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindsay surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lindsay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,319
Census rank
#1,073
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,075 bearers of the surname Lindsay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1073rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsay, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindsay
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsay, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindsay bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lindsay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.1% · 22,158
- Black or African American21.7% · 6,962
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,392
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 174
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindsay
Lindsay appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,255
+1,511 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 11.27
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#1,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,075
-1,180 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.73
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,008 | 31,744 | 11.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,052 | 33,255 | 11.27 | +1,511 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #1,073 | 32,075 | 10.73 | -1,180 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 21 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lindsay surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,052 | #1,073 | -2.0% |
| Count | 33,255 | 32,075 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.27 | 10.73 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindsay bearers went from 33,255 to 32,075 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,052 to #1,073.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lindsay
FAQ
Lindsay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindsay?
Name Census estimates that about 36,781 living Americans carry the surname Lindsay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,319 residents.
How common is Lindsay?
Lindsay ranks #1,073 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,075 people with the surname Lindsay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Lindsay.
Has Lindsay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindsay went from 33,255 recorded bearers to 32,075. That is a decrease of 1,180 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,052 to #1,073.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindsay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindsay, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lindsay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.1% (22,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindsay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.1%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lindsay (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lindsay mean?
A habitational surname derived from places in Scotland, England, or Ireland, likely referring to a linden tree grove. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lindsay (10.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Lindsay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.